Ryanair passenger numbers rise

Ryanair's  traffic grew by 2 per cent last month, according to figures released today.

The airline carried 5 million passengers last month, 2 per cent higher than the 4.8 million carried in December 2009.

The December figures bring the total number of passengers carried by Ryanair to 72.7 million last year, including those passengers who were booked to fly on flights which were cancelled due to the volcanic eruptions in Iceland in April and May 2010.

The load factor - which represents the number of passengers as a percentage of total seats available - fell by 1 per cent on a month-on-month basis, from 81 per cent in November to 80 per cent last month. The load factor for the 12 months to the end of December was 82 per cent.

Meanwhile, the airline also announced a new route from Cork to Milan Bergamo. The new Milan Bergamo service will operate twice-weekly and commence on June 2nd.

Ryanair's shares were trading marginally higher this afternoon at €3.88.