MONTERREY, Mexico, Nov. 5, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Mexican airport operator Grupo Aeroportuario del Centro Norte, S.A.B. de C.V., known as OMA (Nasdaq: OMAB ) (BMV: OMA ), reports that terminal passenger traffic at its 13 airports increased 4.8% in October 2013, as compared to October 2012. Domestic traffic increased 6.0%, and international traffic decreased 3.7%.
Of total October traffic, 97.7% was commercial aviation and 2.3% was general aviation.
| Total Passengers* | ||||||
| Oct-12 | Oct-13 | Change % | Jan-Oct 2012 | Jan-Oct 2013 | Change % | |
| Domestic | 923,568 | 979,289 | 6 | 8,933,875 | 9,458,605 | 5.9 |
| International | 131,065 | 126,277 | (3.7) | 1,500,719 | 1,504,107 | 0.2 |
| OMA Total | 1,054,633 | 1,105,566 | 4.8 | 10,434,594 | 10,962,712 | 5.1 |
| * Terminal passengers: includes passengers on the three types of aviation (commercial, charter, and general aviation), and excludes passengers in transit. | ||||||
Domestic traffic increased in seven airports in October, with the most noteworthy increases in Monterrey (+4.2%), Culiacán (+12.6%), and Reynosa (+30.0%). Monterrey increased traffic on the Mexico City, Toluca, and Querétaro routes. Culiacán increased traffic on the Tijuana and Mexico City routes. Reynosa increased traffic on the Mexico City, Guadalajara, and Cancún routes. Domestic traffic decreased in San Luis Potosí (-7.4%), as a result of lower general aviation traffic, and in Zihuatanejo (-4.6%), as a result of a reduction in Mexico City traffic. In October, Volaris opened the Ciudad Juárez-Tijuana and Chihuahua-Tijuana routes; Aeroméxico also started operating the Culiacán-Tijuana route.
International traffic increased most significantly in Zacatecas (+17.7%), as a result of increases in traffic to Chicago and Dallas, and Tampico (+20.3%) as a result of increases in traffic to Houston. The most significant reductions were in Monterrey (-3.4%), as a result of reductions in traffic on the Las Vegas, Houston, and San Antonio routes, and Mazatlán (-17.0%), as a result of decreased Houston traffic.
The number of flight operations (takeoffs and landings) in October decreased 0.2% as compared to the same month of last year. The number of domestic operations increased 0.2% and international operations decreased 3.3%.
The full traffic report is available at http://ir.oma.aero .
This press release may contain forward-looking information and statements. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts. These statements are only predictions based on our current information and expectations and projections about future events. Forward-looking statements may be identified by the words "believe," "expect," "anticipate," "target," "estimate," or similar expressions. While OMA's management believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, investors are cautioned that forward-looking information and statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties, many of which are difficult to predict and are generally beyond the control of OMA, that could cause actual results and developments to differ materially from those expressed in, or implied or projected by, the forward-looking information and statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, those discussed in our most recent annual report filed on Form 20-F under the caption "Risk Factors." OMA undertakes no obligation to publicly update its forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.
About OMA
Grupo Aeroportuario del Centro Norte, S.A.B. de C.V., known as OMA, operates 13 international airports in nine states of central and northern Mexico. OMA's airports serve Monterrey, Mexico's third largest metropolitan area, the tourist destinations of Acapulco, Mazatlán, and Zihuatanejo, and nine other regional centers and border cities. OMA also operates a hotel inside Terminal 2 of the Mexico City airport. OMA employs over 1,000 persons in order to offer passengers and clients, airport and commercial services in facilities that comply with all applicable international safety, security standards, and ISO 9001:2008. OMA's strategic shareholder members are ICA, Mexico's largest engineering, procurement, and construction company, and Aéroports de Paris Management, subsidiary of Aéroports de Paris, the second largest European airports operator. OMA is listed on the Mexican Stock Exchange (OMA) and on the NASDAQ Global Select Market (OMAB). For more information, visit http://ir.oma.aero .
Jose Luis Guerrero Cortes OMA, CFO +52.81.8625.4300 ext.308 Daniel Wilson Zemi Communications +1.212.689.9560
