Ticket sales enjoy jump at easyJet
NO-FRILLS airline easyJet yesterday reported a 9.1 per cent rise in passenger numbers in June compared with last year, in line with its rivals, as its expansion plan takes flight.
In the 12 months to June, easyJet sold 53.36m seats on its flights – a jump of 12 per cent on last year.
The rise builds on a seven per cent rise in passenger numbers during 2010, as the firm expands its reach across European flight routes.
The firm’s rapid growth plans have sparked tension with the airline’s founder and ongoing shareholder Stelios Haji-Ioannou, who has complained to the board that the plane purchases and route expansions are unsustainable.
EasyJet also announced yesterday that its load factor – a measure of the the percentage of seats sold per flight – has risen 1.1 percentage point to 88.3 per cent in June compared with last year.
Ryanair and BA parent company IAG have this week also reported a rise in traffic compared with last year.