The Cologne-based airline said it transported nearly 8 million passengers for the month, up from 6.3 million in October 2008. However, the latest results include passenger figures from new group airlines _ Austrian Airlines and British Midland _ which were not part of the group in 2008.

Lufthansa, Europe's biggest airline by sales, also holds stakes in other airlines including Swiss International Airlines, JetBlue of the U.S., and Brussels Airlines.

Lufthansa said its passenger load factor for October _ a measure of how full airplanes are _ also improved by 1.7 percentage points to 80.5 percent from 78.8 percent in October 2008.

Freight and mail volume in October, however, continued to be affected by a lack of demand in the downturn.

Lufthansa said it transported 177,500 tons (161,000 metric tons) of cargo for the month, compared with 186,300 tons (169,000 metric tons) a year ago.

Lufthansa said the economic situation affecting airline travel will continue to put pressure on earnings. "The fourth quarter will therefore be decisive whether the aim of a positive operating result for the expanded group can be achieved," the company said in its passenger report Tuesday.

In late October, Lufthansa said net income in the third quarter rose 23 percent because of the addition of new group airlines, but the company reported a loss in the first nine months on lower passenger levels and prices while fuel costs rose.

Shares of Lufthansa were unchanged at ⁈($16.83) in Frankfurt afternoon trading.

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