Ryanair passenger figures rise 19% as BAA takes airline to court

RYANAIR carried 19% more passengers last month despite worldwide airline passenger growth hitting a five-year low in June.

The figures were released as the British Airport Authority (BAA), the owner of London’s Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted airports, confirmed it had sued Ryanair over the airline’s plan to withhold part of an increase in landing charges.

Ryanair carried 5.66 million passengers in July compared with 4.76 million a year earlier, although its load factor — the proportion of its seats filled — fell 1% point to 89%.