Aer Lingus Regional load factor up 8% in April

Aer Lingus Regional continued to record growth in April with load factor up 8 per cent in April compared to a year earlier.

Load factor, which is a measure of how full aircraft are, reached 72 per cent in the month, the airline said.

In the year to date, load factor rose 2.5 per cent for Aer Lingus Regional, which is operated by Stobart Air. More than 338,000 passengers have flown with the airline, which has added new routes to East Midlands, Newquay, Cornwall and Doncaster Sheffield in recent months, in the first four months of the year

It also won the tender to provide air services on routes between Kerry and Dublin, and Donegal and the capital. The Kerry-Dublin route has continued to grow, recording an increase of almost 38 per cent in passenger numbers in the year to date, while Donegal to Dublin has also recorded grwoth for the third month in a row.

Chief commercial officer at Stobart Air Martin Saxton said the airline was pleased to have experienced such a strong start in 2015.

“We are delighted to see this increase in load factor on our existing routes and also to see our new routes such as Dublin to East Midlands and Dublin to Newquay perform so well,” he said. “The airline is now entering the summer period on a very firm footing, and is well positioned to continue this phase of growth into the second half of the year.”