EasyJet passenger numbers surge
Budget airline easyJet says it carried 1.9 million passengers in July, up 75 per cent from a year ago, but that the number of passengers carried as a proportion of seats was down slightly.
EasyJet also said there had been little change since its July trading statement, when it said average passenger fares in the third quarter slipped 2.8 per cent, although bookings for the crucial summer season showed strong growth.
The airline said its load factor, or the number of passengers carried as a proportion of available seats, was 85.6 per cent in July, down from 87.9 per cent the year before.
In contrast to its rival Ryanair, which has been growing quickly, easyJet has cut back its expansion.
On Tuesday, Ryanair said it was having to cut ticket prices aggressively to fill seats after it launched new routes in a tough market.
