British Airways passenger numbers up 8.8 per cent as summer holidays begin
The summer getaway has got off to a flying start for British Airways’ parent company IAG, which yesterday said its June passenger numbers were up 8.8 per cent on last year.
The airline carried 7.1m customers worldwide last month, rising from 6.7m in May and 6.6m in the same month a year ago.
As the World Cup kicked off in Brazil, IAG said 1.5 per cent fewer passengers flew to Latin America and the Caribbean compared to last year, though this is an improvement on its 2.1 per cent year-to-date drop in traffic to the region.
Iberia, the struggling Spanish carrier that merged with BA in 2010, delivered a 0.9 per cent increase in June traffic, improving its year-to-date decline to 0.6 per cent.
Other airlines including Ryanair and easyJet will report traffic figures today.
The summer rush comes as Norwegian Air launches low-cost transatlantic flights from Gatwick, which will offer one-way flights for as little as £149.
Gatwick said yesterday the low-cost route underscored the need for a new runway to serve point-to-point flyers.