Primera Air experienced a record-breaking year in 2017, passing the one million passenger milestone with a total of 1,017,657.
The airline reported that direct sales on the website grew 125.8%, while the company’s revenue increased by 13.7% compared to 2016. The carrier has also recorded a consistent load factor of 85%.
Andri Már Ingólfsson, president and owner, said that entering 2018 with record results “is very encouraging, especially when this year is expected to be defining for Primera Air in the respect of evolving from a solid European leisure carrier into an emerging transatlantic airline.”
The airline is opening new bases in Birmingham (BHX), London Stansted (STN) and Paris Charles de Gaulle (CDG) to begin flights to New York, Boston and Toronto this April, as well as new routes from the UK to Málaga, Palma de Mallorca, Alicante, Barcelona and Chania.
In the next two years, the carrier plans to increase its presence on its current bases, and to add new transatlantic routes and bases. Primera has an order backlog of 20 Boeing MAX 9-ER aircraft.
Ingólfsson continued: “Being among leaders in the changing long-haul and transatlantic flight segment is a huge achievement. Nevertheless, it is a reminder that we are heading in the right direction and, most importantly, that we are keeping up our effort to bring low fares to both European and transatlantic flight markets.”
