EasyJet passenger numbers climb 25%

Low-cost airline easyJet carried 2.1 million passengers during November – a 25% increase on the same month a year earlier, it emerged today.

The improvement came after easyJet continued the expansion of its network with the addition of nine new routes. The airline is expanding services to Cork, Shannon and Knock in the New Year.

However, today’s statistics show the number of passengers as a proportion of the number of seats available slipped to 81.2% from 81.5% a year earlier.

Chief executive Ray Webster, who last month announced a 21% improvement in annual profits, said the latest figures offered encouragement at a time of intense competition in the budget market.

There are now at least 47 low-cost airlines operating in Europe, compared with seven just three years ago.

Mr Webster said: “As these figures demonstrate, there remain good opportunities within the European airlines market for established and efficient low-cost carriers.”

EasyJet now flies more than 150 routes after adding services in the last year to cities including Basle, Budapest and Dortmund.

Despite the growth, the company is braced for a challenging winter as continued strong competition leaves it with “limited visibility” on fares.

The airline is also facing pressure on overheads after figures showed its annual fuel bill increased by almost 22% on a year earlier. That represented 14% of spending and prompted a further drive to focus on costs.

Savings have been achieved through the addition of more fuel-efficient Airbus A319s and the withdrawal from poorly-performing markets or over-priced airports.

Today’s figures also showed the airline carried 25.2 million passengers in the year to the end of November – a 21% improvement on a year earlier. The load factor was up slightly at 84.6%, it added.