Aer Lingus Q3 Revenue Down 10 Pct

LONDON (AP) — Aer Lingus Group PLC, Ireland's loss-making airline, reported Monday that third-quarter revenues fell by 10 percent compared to a year ago and average fares fell even more steeply.

The airline said it was removing one airplane from long-haul service, reducing its long-haul fleet to five. It said a sixth plane might be added next summer.

The carrier, which did not publish earnings figures, said passenger numbers in the third quarter increased 7 percent to nearly 3.1 million. Short-haul capacity rose 11 percent, long-haul capacity was cut by 18 percent, and the airline's overall load factor was 80.4 percent, a gain of 1.3 percentage points compared to last year.

However, average short-haul fares decreased by 12 percent compared to a year earlier, and long-haul fares were down 17 percent.

The figures were nevertheless better than markets expected, according to Goodbody Stockbrokers in Dublin.

Aer Lingus shares were up 8.6 percent at euro0.60 on the London Stock Exchange at midmorning after being up as much as 17 percent. On the Irish Stock Exchange, Aer Lingus rose 7 percent in early trading to euro0.60.