AIDA Celebrates Record Year

AIDA Cruises achieved an exceptional increase in its annual results for the business year 2005. With a turnover of € 375 million and a total of 233,000 passengers, AIDA Cruises has had its most successful year since the company was founded.

Around 10% more guests spent their holiday on board an AIDA Club Ship than in the previous year 2004. Sales also rose from € 370 million to € 375 million. The increase in turnover is lower than that for passenger numbers on account of a considerable reduction in flight volumes.

AIDA Cruises has initiated a number of major investment projects during the last financial year with, for example, three new AIDA vessels being built at the Meyer Shipyard in Papenburg at a cost of € 945 million. The steelwork has already commenced in October of this year and the first ship will be laid down in March 2006. The new AIDA vessels will be delivered in the spring of 2007, 2008 and 2009, ensuring an 80% expansion in the capacity of the AIDA fleet by the year 2009.

With its four AIDA Club Ships and total capacity of 5,400 beds, AIDA Cruises is the undisputed market leader for sea cruises in Germany. The rapidly growing company, which is part of the Carnival Group and based in the Baltic city of Rostock, currently has 2,400 employees from 25 different countries. The workforce will increase to around 4,000 by 2009.