Austrian Airlines (AUA), recently taken over by German flag carrier Lufthansa, said Tuesday it sustained a 10-percent drop in passenger numbers last year. AUA said in a statement it transported a total 9.9 million passengers in 2009, a decline of 10.2 percent from the year-earlier figure. Nevertheless, passenger numbers were down only 1.3 percent at 2.4 million in the fourth quarter alone, thanks to an increase of 1.7 percent to 703,300 in December, the airline said.

The so-called passenger-load factor — which measures the proportion of seats filled on a flight — slipped by 0.9 percentage point to 74.0 percent in the whole of 2009. But in the fourth quarter alone, it rose by two percentage points to 74.6 percent. AUA cut the number of flights on offer by 11.2 percent last year in a bid to boost margins and cut debt. Lufthansa, which bought the loss-making Austrian carrier from the state in September, said it would allow AUA to continue operating under its own brand.