Qantas Airways has reported improving yields – or average fares per passenger – across the airline group for July.

In its monthly capacity and traffic statistics released on Friday, Qantas said total domestic yields for Qantas, QantasLink and Jetstar were 9.4 per cent higher in July 2011, compared with the same month a year ago.

Meanwhile, yields for its international flying on Qantas, Jetstar International and Jetstar Asia were up seven per cent in July from a year ago, Qantas said.

Total passenger numbers across the airline group rose 6.2 per cent to $4.069 million.

Qantas mainline international flying – that is, planes with a red tail and white kangaroo – posted a 0.4 per cent increase in the number of passengers carried on a 1.5 per cent rise in capacity, measured by available seat kilometres.

Revenue seat factors were steady at 84.8 per cent.

Last month, chief executive Alan Joyce said Qantas international lost $216 million in 2010/11.

The carrier closed up 3.5 cents at $1.63.

Meanwhile, the International Air Services Commission (IASC) has approved Qantas’s request for 2,170 seats per week for new services between Australia and China.

The allocated capacity will be used by Jetstar, which is starting daily flights from Melbourne to Beijing, via Singapore, on November 24 using an Airbus A330.

Among other decisions, the IASC also approved Qantas and Virgin Australia’s request for 7,350 and 2,800 seats per week between Australia and Denpasar, which is the arrival airport for Bali.

Virgin Australia’s application to place its code on Singapore Airlines and Silk Air flights between the city-state and various points in India was also approved.

The code-share flights were one part of a strategic alliance the two carriers signed in June this year. The tie-up required Australian Competition and Consumer Commission approval.

Virgin closed steady at 30 cents.