Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for standing by. I'm Constantinos, your call operator. Welcome, and thank you for joining the Aegean Airlines conference call to present and discuss the first half of 2024 financial results. At this time, I would like to turn the conference over to Mr. Kouveliotis, Michalis, Deputy CEO CFO. Mr. Kouveliotis, you may now proceed.
Good afternoon, everybody, and welcome to our 2024 first semester and second quarter call for . Let me first say that I'm with our Deputy CFO and Executive Board Member, Mrs. Stella Dimaraki, and our investor relations manager, Ms. Anthi Katelani. So we all welcome you to our call, and we are all here for your questions. Let us get with our initial comments, which are not going to be very detailed. I prefer to keep them relatively short in order to give space and time for Q&A, which I believe is much more efficient for this call.
So Aegean, for one more time, has reported strong performance in the seasonally weak first half of the year in terms of growth in passenger numbers, in revenues, in flight activity, a number of flights and in terms of developing its investment in towards the MRO and the training facility, and of course, in terms of profitability. We are very happy with the performance of the Q2 and the half one overall, as both has exceeded very close or been very close to the previous record year. Regarding the passengers and the revenue, I would like to comment that in the first half of the year has carried 7.3 million passengers. That represent 9% increase compared to the same period of last year.
The growth has been balanced between international passenger traffic, recording an increase of 9%, with international passengers having reached 2.6 million, and in parallel, domestic passenger traffic, recording an increase of 8% - 1.8 million passengers. Load factors have reached 81.2%. The balanced growth in passenger traffic mainly comes from the increased traffic in international Athens International Airport, with the increase having reached 13%, and Thessaloniki Airport, which also has shown an increase of 12%.
Aegean has increased during the first half frequencies on flights to and from London Heathrow, which from three daily have gone to four daily, to and from Istanbul up to four daily flights, and other main European capitals like Paris, Rome, Frankfurt from Athens and Thessaloniki, Barcelona, Madrid, and Cyprus. Overall, the market in Greece has been increased by 11%, and this shows quite a strong demand for Athens and for Greece overall as a destination. But still, Athens also has reached even higher levels of growth to 15%.
Aegean, in line with the market in the first half, have expanded capacity 11%, and we are continuing to being among the few carriers that we are above the 2019 levels of capacity by 17%. Revenues have reached almost EUR 750 million, which are 10% higher than half one 2023, with RASK and yield remaining at the same levels as last year. EBITDA stood at EUR 147.6 million, which is 6% higher than half one, keeping a steady margin, EBITDA margin at 20%, which still remains one of the strongest EBITDA margins in the sector. Profit before taxes in half one 2024 amounted to EUR 31.6 million, compared with EUR 48.7 million in 2023.
Profits after taxes stood at EUR 22.9 million, from EUR 37.1 million in half one, 2023. So all these remain strong numbers, bearing in mind that different aspects that affect year-over-year comparisons. Regarding our cost structures, the main issue and the main element that has affected our excellent performance in the half one of 2024 is still remaining the GTF engine issue, which we have explained to you in during our previous call, quite specifically and in further detail, the nature of the issue, which still remains visible and is affecting our cost structure in 2024.
It is important to know that the non-scheduled mandatory engine inspections and repairs, which started on October 2023, which require a grounding of significant part of our new aircraft fleet, significantly impact our cost structure in terms of fuel, maintenance and aircraft lease costs. On average, as of today, and actually on average for the first half of 2024, an average of eight aircraft were not available, were grounded, so they were not operational, which have caused a quite significant impact in our plans and our operations. In order to minimize the capacity impact caused by the GTF engines, we have extended lease contracts of aircraft expiring, older aircraft, older technology aircraft, which were expiring in Q1 and Q2 2024.
And since the previous year, which were not planned to be extended. Additionally, we have adjusted flight operations by reallocating capacity previously deployed to third-party operations abroad, and we have redeployed them and brought them back to our main bases in Athens and Thessaloniki. As we have already informed you, we have agreed with a compensation structure and package with Pratt & Whitney, the manufacturer, which is already going on and being executed. The compensation, although it covers a significant portion of the burden that we are suffering from this issue with the GTF engine, does not fully cover and offset the cost impact of the effect of the grounded aircraft.
It's the cost plus the additional seat that we are missing from the neos versus the ceos. Moreover, the burden of increased CO2 purchases have a significant impact on our cost, too, given the ongoing and the three-year phasing out period of the historical free CO2 allowances in the airline sector. And finally, inflationary pressures keep affecting together with higher flight activity, 11% more in terms of flights at the airport, handling and overflight expenses. Even though the above issues that are impacting our cost structure, our unit costs are still remain very competitive versus our peers, and in half one.
To be more specific, in half one, our cost, our unit, our CASK, excluding, in EBT level, excluding fuel costs, has increased by 5% versus half one 2023. The US dollar exchange rate movement since the beginning of the year has also affected the valuation of the assets and liabilities denominated in dollars, and actually, resulted to an FX loss of the valuation of almost EUR 4 million in half one 2024, compared to gains of almost EUR 9 million in the similar period in half one 2023. So the overall impact is 12 million from, mainly coming from the valuations, which that's why in the operating EBITDA level, we are very, very close to our last year.
But in EBT level, we are lacking, we are having this gap, mainly it's coming from the valuations effect and impact of the US dollar movement. Overall, we feel very good about achieving these levels. Needless to mention that we have managed to leave behind the years where until 2019, Aegean's first half period results were loss-making. We continue to be profit-making, profit-generating. And in terms of some other elements that are worth noticing is we are also very proud and very happy that our cash generation still from operating activities is still very strong. Just to give you an example, with the figures, cash at the end of the year was 706 million EUR.
After the repayment of the warrants and the dividend payout, which both of them resulted to almost EUR 150 million, our cash at the end of the first half as of June thirtieth has reached to EUR 814 million. This means that the strong profitability, the strong cash generation remains and the strong actually assisted us each and every half, the first half of the year from the strong pre-sales. The CapEx, also, we would like to mention that in the first half of the year, we had some CapEx amounting to EUR 36 million, which also is included in the figures that we have mentioned before.
EUR 36 million mainly invested in engines, spare engines in our MRO investment, which is coming to the end of its first phase, and in lounges. So, okay, this is today following our cash balance stands at EUR 750 million after the investment in Volotea of EUR 25 million, which we have announced last week. Regarding the aircraft, our fleet, we are taking delivery in the first half, we are taking delivery of three new neo aircraft, bringing the total number of neo fleet of 31 aircraft, which consists of 18 A320 and 13 A321 aircraft, with two more aircraft to come before the end of the year.
With all the orders from 2025 onwards, we have five aircraft to be delivered in 2025, 2026 and 2027. This is the current schedule with Airbus, which is expected to be executed. We are very happy to have secured our first JOLCO transaction in June, which bring us both diversification into sources of funding as well as tapping the Japanese investor market, bringing both 100% financing for our fleet at a very attractive cost and also meeting a strategy to increase the number of aircraft that will eventually be owned by us. We have two more JOLCO transactions to complete before the end of the year. JOLCO financing, we are interested to increase eventually ownership of aircraft and balancing exposure between euro and dollar.
People's development, I would like to mention some additional comments regarding our people. This year, we will start maturing our pilot academy rationale and investment. The first pilot which will graduate from this pilot academy will be inducted in our personnel, and which shows the... It's actually very timely because there is scarcity out there in the market for trained pilots... and it supports the gradual development and is very complemented by our MRO facility. Not only that, we have done more or less the same structure for our technical academy people which are going to be added to our family and employees in the coming two years.
We have added the trainees very early. We have started then this initiative quite early, and we are one of the first lines in our industry and in our territory that we have started this initiative, and we feel very happy and very on time to have this initiative to mature and support and upgrade the development of our MRO unit and which is an important part of our company. This is more or less what I would like to have as introductory comments, so I would like to give you some time now, we are starting to Q&A phase.
The first question comes from the line of Natalia with Eurobank Equities. Please go ahead.
Yes, good afternoon. Hope you can hear me. Thank you for taking my question. I was wondering if you could give us an update on capacity growth. You had said you were intending low capacity growth in Q3 twenty-four, so I was wondering how this has been evolving, if you could give us an update and maybe if you have any indications on Q4. Also, how are the pricing dynamics going in the period Q3, Q4, especially the Q3 very important period. I also have one more question about if you could give us some color on the current hedging positions and then fuel and then euro. Thank you.
Okay, let's start from the hedging. In fuel, we have hedged around 69% of our needs for twenty twenty-four, and 41% of our twenty twenty-five needs at the levels of which are currently around 14% higher than the current spot, the current forward levels of the market.
Okay, thank you.
Regarding the dollars, we are hedged for 53% of 2024 needs and 32% of our 2025 needs. More or less at the current levels of the dollar rate.
Okay.
Now, regarding going back to your question regarding pricing environment and what we see in Q3, which is the main element, and the capacity that you have asked for. In Q3, we see that we are very close to the 2023 levels of Q3. A slight decline, but we are happy of the demand what we see. The demand is there. Of course, the competition is also there, so there is a slight decrease on the pricing levels, but nothing worrying.
And the capacity in Q3, we are planning to offer and we have offered, actually, because we are coming to the end of Q3, 5%-7% higher, mainly from Athens, more seats in the market, which is quite close to what the competition has also offered.
But overall, Natalia, capacity is expected to flatten, as we discussed in the beginning of the year. We are offering more capacity on the shoulder month, hence in Q3 overall, network capacity is broadly at the same level of last year, with the growth that Michalis mentioned out of Athens.
Okay, so you move it more towards Athens. You had also mentioned that Q4 capacity will be a bit higher in the previous call, like Q1 and Q4 would be more capacity in the summer months. Does that stand also?
Yeah, according to the current plans and what we have published, the capacity in Q4 is expected to be around 5% higher than Q4 2023.
Okay, great. Thank you very much.
Thank you, too.
The next question comes from the line of Tess Hammond, Jacob, with Wood & Co. Please go ahead.
Hi, everyone, this is Jakub. Thanks for the presentation. Also three questions from my side. First, I would like to follow on Natalia's question on pricing. Can you help us understand what does it mean in terms of risk for the third quarter, for the fourth quarter? We have seen, again, some cautious comments from liners. We're just trying to understand how does Aegean stack against some of the bigger peers in Europe. And the two remaining questions on cash flow. First, we have seen in the first half higher year-on-year cash payment for amortization of the leases. Could you remind me what have been the drivers of the year-on-year increase?
Caithaml, JakubOn free cash flow, is it possible to give us some rough indication, how much do you expect?
... Aegean could make in 2024 for the full year in free cash flow after leasing payment? Thank you.
Yeah, regarding the fares and the pricing in Q3 and Q4, actually in Q3, I have to repeat what I have answered previously, that the average fares are slightly, are very close, but slightly lower to last year's levels and period. So we are- okay, we have a different model versus Ryanair, but on the other hand, we don't see that significant drop in our fares, especially in Q3. It is lower, but it is not sign- slightly lower, but it's not something very, very worrying to announce. Now, the free cash flow, we expect to be strong and actually, which will help, or according to the current plans, we will continue to have the same dividend policy and the same dividend scheme as this year.
To be honest, sorry for not hearing very well your question about the amortization on the cash flow. I didn't understand it, so can you please repeat it?
Yes, thank you. The lease payments in cash terms have been higher year on year in the first half compared to first half 2023. What was driving this?
It's a combination of delivering aircraft, neo aircraft, having the AOG aircraft that we are still continuing to pay rents on that, and extending the CEO aircraft that we're flying actually, and they are replacing the capacity needed for 2024. So overall, cash flow-wise, it is affecting our outflows, and actually, this is the main reason.
Thank you.
Thank you, too.
Ladies and gentlemen, there are no further questions at this time. I will now turn the conference over to Mr. Kouveliotis for any closing comments. Thank you.
So, yeah, well, I have to repeat that we are very happy from our half one financials and results, and we hope that this and we expect that this year is going to be another very successful year. Of course, operations-wise, we are still facing challenges, and it's not only within Greece, it's all over Europe, with air traffic control, mainly issues that are delaying the flights overall. But we are happy to announce and to see that we have been improved a lot compared to last year, because we have done some changes in our operations and network and in infrastructure. We are, but we are improving.
Okay, we're not in a position that we are happy, but it at least it's in the right direction and the delays are significantly lower than last year because of, as I said, mainly from our network design and other improvements in the operations. In Greece, we are also we would like to mention that even that the air traffic has increased by 24% versus 2019 , which shows that there is demand, the demand is growing, but in parallel, the competition is also growing.
But it also shows that, and it's a fact actually, that we experience more pressure in the infrastructure, and that's on that aspect in airports and air traffic control, which both items are very high in our agenda because they are affecting a lot our operations. We are very eager to see the expansion of Athens International Airport, so in order to support higher capacity numbers of passengers. And we see that overall, we are affected by this, as I said, in the growth, and we are very sensitive on trying to improve this impact.