EasyJet passenger number soar to 30m

Low-cost airline easyJet said today that it carried almost 18% more passengers in 2005 than the year before – helping revenues jump 20.5%.

The Luton-based airline, which has added a series of new routes and services, flew 30.3 million people during the year, compared with 25.7 million in 2004. Its load factor – which shows how full its planes were – rose slightly to 84.9%.