Ryanair has announced passenger traffic for November 2003 up 60 per cent to 2,001,077 and has overtaken BA's Britain /Europe traffic in that month for the first time to make it Britain's most used airline to Britain and Europe.
BA's UK/Europe traffic for November 2003 was confirmed yesterday at 1,762,000, a quarter of a million passengers less than Ryanair carried in the same month.
Its load factor - the proportion of seats filled - fell from 84 per cent to 83 per cent. Internet sales now account for 96 per cent of total seat sales.
Yesterday, Ryanair said it would scrap nine routes out of London, Stockholm and Frankfurt in the New Year and replace them with nine other routes.
It also said four news routes from London, two from Brussels and Sotckholm and one from Frankfurt would start operating early in the New year.
Amongst the cuts would be routes between the Finnish city of Tampere and Sweden's Skavsta airport due to weak demand and their replacement with a route from Frankfort to Tampere.
Mr O'Leary also reiterated his call on the European Commission to rule in favour of Ryanair's deal at Brussels Charleroi.