MONTERREY,
Mexico,
Sept. 10 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Mexican airport
operator Grupo Aeroportuario del Centro Norte, S.A.B. de C.V., known as OMA,
reports that total passenger traffic (terminal passengers) at its 13 airports
reached 1.3 million in
August 2007, an increase of 27.1% compared to
August
2006, driven by a 32.8% increase in domestic traffic. The airports with the
most significant increases in terms of passenger traffic were
Monterrey
(+141,386), Culiacan (+30,102), Chihuahua (+24,688), Ciudad Juarez (+22,512)
and Mazatlan (+19,048).
Domestic traffic in August 2007 totaled 1,105,967 passengers, an increase
of 32.8% compared to the prior year. Twelve of our airports reported growth in
domestic passenger traffic as a result of new routes and frequencies opened by
the new airlines (Aladia, Alma, Avolar, Interjet, VivaAerobus, and Volaris)
and the performance of some traditional airlines. The suspension of operations
of Lineas Aereas Azteca on March 26, 2007 affected traffic at the Zacatecas
airport.
International traffic totaled 183,420 passengers in August 2007, a 0.9%
increase compared to August 2006. The Mazatlan, Monterrey, Torreon, and
Chihuahua airports recorded the most significant increases. The decrease in
the frequency of some routes operated by scheduled international airlines
affected international traffic at the airports at Acapulco, Durango,
Zihuatanejo, Culiacan, and Tampico.
Total Passengers*
(Thousand) Aug-06 Aug-07 Change Jan-Aug Jan-Aug Change
% 2006 2007 %
Domestic 832.5 1,106.0 32.8 6,050.5 7,812.4 29.1
International 181.9 183.4 0.9 1,825.8 1,742.4 (4.6)
OMA Total 1,014.4 1,289.4 27.1 7,876.3 9,554.8 21.3
* Terminal passengers: excludes transit passengers
By airport
Monterrey, OMA's principal airport, served 613,301 passengers in August
2007, an increase of 30.0% compared to the same month of 2006. Domestic
traffic at Monterrey airport increased 35.9%, principally as a result of the
performance of VivaAerobus. International traffic rose 1.9%.
Based on traffic for the first eight months of 2007, the Culiacan airport
has now become OMA's second busiest airport, with 749,501 passengers through
August. The recovery in passenger traffic by Aerocalifornia and the entry of
new domestic operators (VivaAerobus, Volaris, and Avolar) has benefited
Culiacan's domestic traffic, which increased 43.1% in August 2007, compared to
August 2006.
For more information please visit: http://ir.oma.aero/
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, Mazatlan, and Zihuatanejo, and
nine other regional centers and border cities. OMA employs over 900 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 9001:2000. OMA's strategic shareholder members are ICA,
Mexico's largest engineering, procurement, and construction company, and
Aeroports de Paris Management, subsidiary of Aeroports 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). Please visit our
website, www.oma.aero.
This communication 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 expectations and
projections about future events. Forward-looking statements may be identified
by the words "believe," "expect," "anticipate," "target," 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 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.