Budget airline EasyJet has reported a 39 per cent growth in passenger numbers in March year-on-year.
EasyJet, in talks with Boeing and Airbus about ordering up to 75 new jets, said it carried 839,472 passengers in March, up from 603,812 for the same month last year. It carried 721,642 passengers in February.
The March load factor, measuring the number of seats sold as a percentage of capacity, was 85.9 per cent, up from 82.6 per cent in March 2001, said EasyJet. The load factor was 87.2 per cent in February.
Shares in EasyJet were up 2.9 per cent at 527-1/4 pence by 8.45 a.m. in a weaker market. The stock has outperformed the FTSE Mid Cap 250 Index by about 49 per cent in the past year.
In contrast, full-service airlines that have high overheads and thin margins, are being hurt by low-cost carriers in Europe and the drop in demand on long-haul routes caused by the economic slowdown and the September 11th attacks on the US.
In an attempt to tackle the British-based budget airlines, British Airways, Europe's largest carrier, said in February it would cut costs by lowering aircraft turnaround times, reducing aircraft types flown, and offer lower fares on short-haul routes to business and holiday travellers.