easyJet emerges from under a cloud

6th May 2011 08:28

No-frills airline easyJet gained altitude Friday after better than expected passenger figures for April.The airline carried 4.72m passengers in April, up 35.1% from the 3.49m passengers in April 2010 when the airline industry was hit by a number of cancellations prompted by the volcanic ash cloud emanating from Iceland.Without the effects of the cancellations, the year on year growth in passenger numbers would have been around 11%, easyJet calculates.Th airline's load factor improved to 86.5% from 85.2% in April 2010.In the 12 months to the end of April 2011 the airline carried 52.46m passengers, up 11.8% on the 46.94m passengers carried in the 12 months to end-April 2010.The rolling 12 months load factor moved up seven basis points to 87.2% from 86.5% the year before. ---jh