easyJet passenger numbers increase

easyJet has followed British Airways with a positive set of passenger figures for December. The no frills carrier reported a 16% increase in passenger figures to 1,688,394 – up from 1,433,400 in the same month in 2002. The airline carried a total of 21.08m passengers during the year. Load factor also improved from 77% in December 2002 to 80% for the same month in 2003. Chief Executive Ray Webster said: “December was a good month for easyJet with our load factor up strongly compared to December 2002. This increase highlights once more the robustness of the easyJet business model and our ability to meet the public’s demand for the lowest prices to the most convenient airports.” Meanwhile no frills rival Ryanair reported a 53% increase in passengers during December, although its load factor fell slightly from 85% to 83%.