easyJet passengers rise by a 10th in April

7th May 2014 07:34

Budget airline easyJet carried a 10th more passengers last month than in April 2013 as late Easter getaways boosted bookings.The Luton airport-based carrier said passenger numbers rose 10.2% to 5.8m, while its load factor - a measure of how full its aircraft were - increased 3.1 percentage points to 89.8%.In the year to April, passenger numbers climbed 4.2% to 62.4m with a load factor up 0.6 percentage points to 89.7%.The Easter holiday was on and around April 20th this year, compared to March 31st in 2013, meaning more people were off work and likely to travel.Meanwhile, Irish flag carrier Aer Lingus said its passenger numbers in April rose 9.8% to 862,000.It also attributed the rise to the late Easter, as well as the launch of new services to San Francisco and Toronto during the month.PW