Easyjet passenger numbers rise
Low-cost airline easyJet today said it carried more passengers during June than during the same period last year.
The figure of 4.15 million was up 0.8% on June 2008, although the measure of how full the company’s planes were last month fell by 0.6 percentage points to 86.3%.
The company’s monthly passenger statistics contained no commentary on conditions in a sector faced with major economic challenges.
British Airways said on Friday that it carried 5% fewer passengers in June, while its planes were 79.6% full, compared with 81.4% a year earlier. Ryanair said it continued to grow with June passenger numbers up 13% to 5.8 million.
Easyjet carried 44.5 million passengers in the year to June, an increase of 7.9%, while capacity changes contributed to a rise in load factor to 85.2%.
It recently announced losses of £129.8 million for its seasonally quieter half-year, although second half bookings were broadly in line with last year.
The airline currently operates a fleet of 173 aircraft, operating out of 19 bases. More than half of easyJet’s passengers originate outside the UK, following 21.8% half-year growth on European-based routes.
