EasyJet sees passenger numbers up but falls behind rival’s growth
EASYJET saw its passenger numbers increase by 7.5 per cent in March compared with the same month last year, but failed to keep up with arch-rival Ryanair.
The Luton-based budget airline carried 5.5m passengers last month, up from 5.1m over the same period last year. The moderate growth comes on the back of February’s six per cent increase in passenger numbers and a small rise in January.
However, the airline also managed to notch up its load factor – a sign of efficiency when it comes to filling seats – which rose to 91 per cent, an increase of 1.4 percentage points.
The modest rate of growth was eclipsed by that of Ryanair which yesterday announced it saw a 28 per cent increase in March, after seeing traffic up 29 per cent in February and 30 per cent in January.
EasyJet was not the only carrier with results out yesterday as Aer Lingus, which is part-owned by Ryanair and a takeover target of British Airways owner IAG, saw passenger numbers up 2.3 per cent in March.
The growth comes after a 0.9 per cent decline in February and was partly driven by a jump in long-haul flights which saw a 25 per cent increase during the period.
The surge in long-haul flights will be particularly welcome for the carrier which is particularly sought by IAG due to its strong links between Dublin and the US.
Shares in EasyJet closed up 0.6 per cent at 1,857p yesterday.