EasyJet passenger numbers rise 61%

Low-cost partners easyJet and Go carried 61% more passengers last month compared to a year ago, figures showed today.

More than 1.72 million people flew with the two airlines as the demand for budget air travel continued to grow.

Rival Ryanair revealed yesterday that it carried 1.45 million passengers in July, a 41% increase on last year.

Luton-based easyJet’s £374m (€594m) acquisition of Go cleared the final regulatory hurdles last week.

The Go brand is set to disappear early next year and easyJet is considering moving its headquarters to Go’s base in Stansted, Essex.

EasyJet said its planes were 87.9% full last month while Go enjoyed a ‘‘load factor’’ of 87%.

Go carried 645,598 passengers, 58.8% up on last year, while easyJet flew almost 1.1 million, an increase of 61.7%.

EasyJet’s figures include the 130 passengers who staged a high-profile sit-in on a plane bound from Nice to Luton a fortnight ago.