Easter boost for BA

British Airways today said it flew 1.3% more passengers last month as this year’s later Easter helped boost standard class business.

But the airline said it continued to face “very challenging” conditions, while the impact of the swine flu outbreak was still unclear.

BA carried 2.8 million fliers in April compared with 2.7 million a year ago.

It said Easter, which was in March last year, helped boost non-premium traffic figures – up 5.2%.

Premium business, which covers those travelling in first- and business-class seats, plunged by 17.7%, partly as a result of the timing of the Easter break, added BA.