GUADALAJARA, Mexico, Dec. 8 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacifico, S.A.B. de C.V. (NYSE: PAC; BMV: GAP) ("the Company" or "GAP") announced preliminary terminal passenger traffic figures for the month of November 2008 compared to traffic figures for November 2007.
During November 2008, total terminal passengers decreased 15.0% compared to the previous year; international passenger traffic decreased 9.5%, while domestic passenger traffic decreased 17.6% compared to November 2007.
Compared to November 2007, domestic terminal passenger traffic in November 2008 registered a net decrease of 227.5 thousand passengers in all of the airports operated by GAP except Los Cabos. Most of the declines took place in the airports of Tijuana, with 93.7 thousand fewer passengers, in Guadalajara, with 45.4 thousand fewer passengers, in Guanajuato, with 16.3 thousand fewer passengers, and in Hermosillo, with 15.6 thousand fewer passengers.
In the case of the Tijuana airport, this decline was principally due to a reduction in traffic on the routes to Guadalajara, Culiacan, Hermosillo, La Paz, Los Mochis, Los Cabos, Durango, Toluca, Morelia, Guanajuato and Monterrey. These decreases were mainly due to the suspension of the operations of Aerocalifornia, Avolar and Alma, as well as to the reduction of operations from Aviacsa and Mexicana, on routes to and from the previously mentioned cities.
The decline at the Guadalajara airport was due to a decrease in traffic on the routes to and from Tijuana, Puerto Vallarta, Toluca, Veracruz, La Paz, Los Mochis, Ciudad Juarez, Puebla, Queretaro, Oaxaca, among others. This was due to the exit of Aerocalifornia, Avolar and Alma, in addition to the reduction of frequencies from Aviacsa, Aeromexico, Mexicana and Aeromexico Connect.
The decline at the Guanajuato airport was due mainly to the decline in traffic on the routes to and from Monterrey, Tijuana, Mexico City, Guadalajara, Cancun, Morelia, Culiacan, Toluca and Puebla. In the case of the reductions on the routes to Mexico City and Monterrey, the decrease was mainly due to the fact that, beginning on May 12, Aviacsa ceased operations out of the Guanajuato airport. Additionally, traffic to this airport was affected by the exit of Avolar and Alma.
The decline at the Hermosillo airport was primarily due to a decrease in traffic on the routes to and from Guadalajara, Tijuana, Monterrey, Toluca, Puebla, Los Mochis, Ciudad Obregon, Ciudad Juarez, La Paz and Mazatlan, which was due to a reduction in operations in the operations of Aeromexico, VivaAerobus, Aviacsa, Aeromexico Connect and Avolar.
The decline in the La Paz airport was mainly due to the decline in traffic on routes to Tijuana, Guadalajara, Mexico City, Culiacan, Los Mochis, Hermosillo, Ciudad Obregon, Mazatlan and Loreto. This decline was mainly due to the suspension of operations of Aerocalifornia and Alma, as well as the exit of Avolar and Aeromexico from this airport. It is important to mention that during the month of September, Volaris initiated operations in La Paz with routes to and from Tijuana and Guadalajara, as well as VivaAerobus, which initiated operations to Monterrey.
The decline in the Los Mochis airport was due to a reduction in traffic on routes to and from Mexico City, Hermosillo, Guadalajara, La Paz, Tijuana, Los Cabos and Ciudad Obregon, mainly as a result of the suspension of operations of Aerocalifornia and Alma, as well as the reduction of operations by Aeromexico Connect.
The decline in the Morelia airport was principally due to the decline in traffic on the routes to and from Tijuana, Monterrey, Uruapan, Toluca and Guanajuato, mainly due to the exit of Aviacsa from this airport as well as the suspension of Avolar's operations and the decline of operations from Mexicana compared to the previous year.
At the beginning of November, Alma suspended operations and initiated bankruptcy protection proceedings. Alma operated in seven of GAP's twelve airports, with the following exclusive routes: Aguascalientes to Monterrey, Aguascalientes to Puerto Vallarta, Aguascalientes to Toluca, Guadalajara to Los Mochis, Guadalajara to Queretaro, Guadalajara to Reynosa, Puerto Vallarta -- Queretaro and Tijuana to Mazatlan; representing 5.7% of domestic passenger traffic.
International terminal passenger traffic decreased by 59.3 thousand passengers, or 9.5% compared to November 2007.
The airports that experienced an increase in international passenger traffic were Morelia with 3.8 thousand additional passengers and Tijuana with 0.2 thousand additional passengers.
In the case of the Morelia airport, the increase was due to higher traffic on the routes to and from Chicago, Los Angeles, San Jose and Sacramento, operated by Mexicana.
On the other hand, the following airports experienced decreases in international passenger traffic: Guadalajara with 25.5 thousand fewer international passengers, Los Cabos with 11.1 thousand fewer international passengers, Puerto Vallarta with 8.9 thousand fewer international passengers, Guanajuato with 8.4 thousand fewer international passengers and Hermosillo with 3.1 thousand fewer international passengers, among others.
In the case of the Guadalajara airport, the decrease was primarily due to the decline in international traffic, mainly from passengers travelling to and from Los Angeles, Houston, Dallas, Atlanta, Las Vegas, Phoenix, Oakland, Fresno and Salt Lake City.
In the case of Los Cabos, the decrease was due to a decline in international passenger traffic on routes to and from Dallas, San Diego, San Francisco, Chicago, Seattle, Denver, Sacramento, Salt Lake City and Las Vegas.
The decrease at the Puerto Vallarta airport was due to the decline in international passenger traffic to and from San Francisco, Houston, Denver, Seattle, Atlanta, Toronto, Montreal and Minneapolis.
The decline at the Guanajuato airport was due to the decrease in international passenger traffic to and from Los Angeles, Houston and Dallas. The decrease in the Hermosillo airport was due to a decline in international passenger traffic to and from Phoenix, Tucson and Los Angeles.
At the close of November 2008, the weekly schedule of flights operated by LCC's decreased by 237 weekly segments compared to October 2008, for a total of 677 frequencies.
In November 2008, approximately 521.1 thousand passengers were transported by the LCC's, representing approximately 49.03% of the total number of domestic passengers for this month.
Company Description:
Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacifico, S.A.B. de C.V. (GAP) operates twelve airports throughout Mexico's Pacific region, including the major cities of Guadalajara and Tijuana, the four tourist destinations of Puerto Vallarta, Los Cabos, La Paz and Manzanillo, and six other mid-sized cities: Hermosillo, Guanajuato, Morelia, Aguascalientes, Mexicali and Los Mochis. In February 2006, GAP's shares were listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol "PAC" and on the Mexican Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol "GAP".
This press release may contain forward-looking statements. These statements are not historical facts, and are based on management's current view and estimates of future economic circumstances, industry conditions, company performance and financial results. The words "anticipates", "believes", "estimates", "expects", "plans" and similar expressions, as they relate to the company, are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Statements regarding the declaration or payment of dividends, the implementation of principal operating and financing strategies and capital expenditure plans, the direction of future operations and the factors or trends affecting financial conditions, liquidity or results of operations are examples of forward-looking statements. Such statements reflect the current views of management and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties. There is no guarantee that the expected events, trends or results will actually occur. The statements are based on many assumptions and factors, including general economic and market conditions, industry conditions, and operating factors. Any changes in such assumptions or factors could cause actual results to differ materially from current expectations.
In accordance with Section 806 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and article 42 of the "Ley del Mercado de Valores", GAP has implemented a "whistleblower" program, which allows complainants to anonymously and confidentially report suspected activities that may involve criminal conduct or violations. The telephone number in Mexico, facilitated by a third party that is in charge of collecting these complaints, is 800-759-0045. GAP's Audit Committee will be notified of all complaints for immediate investigation.
For more information, visit: http://www.aeropuertosgap.com.mx/ or contact:
In Mexico
Miguel Aliaga, Investor Relations Officer
Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacifico, S.A.B. de C.V.
Tel: 011 52 (33) 38801100 ext 216
