Ryanair has said its after-tax profits rose 35 per cent in the third quarter of last year from the same quarter a year ago to €28.8 million.
The company, Europe's biggest budget airline, also said load factors rose to 79 per cent from the same quarter in 2000, an increase of 3 per cent, while passenger volume, including no-shows, was up 30 per cent to 2.7 million.
Ryanair said average yields declined by 10 per cent, which it said was "due in large measure to the low fare promotions, which Ryanair launched immediately following September 11th".
The airline said operating costs rose by 15 per cent, a slower rate than revenue growth.
Ryanair also said it was introducing a programme to increase the percentage of share capital held by EU nationals, and that ordinary shares issued to non-EU nationals would now come under the category of "restricted shares" in accordance with the company's articles of association.