Singapore - Singapore Airlines (SIA), one of the biggest carriers worldwide, on Monday posted a steep drop in passenger numbers as demand for air travel continued to fall due to the global economic downturn and the spread of the H1N1 influenza virus.

In May 2009, SIA carried 1.21 million passengers, down 23.7 per cent from a year ago, the airline said in a statement.

The decline followed the planned reduction in frequencies and termination of services on some routes.

"Traffic demand continues to be impacted by the global economic slowdown," SIA said.

"In addition, the uncertainty over the spread of influenza A (H1N1) will also impinge on demand for air travel."

SIA filled 66.9 per cent of available seats in May, a fall of 7.8 points compared to a year ago.

SIA had earlier reported that net profit for the full financial year ending March 31 slumped to 1.06 billion Singapore dollars (727 million US dollars), down 48.2 per cent from
2.04 billion Singapore dollars a year earlier.(dpa)