Eurotunnel increased its revenue by 1% to €231.8 million during the first quarter of the year, but traffic on Le Shuttle car carrying service was down by 7% due to the last Easter.
Last year, Easter fell in March, meaning the boost in passenger traffic it brought was added to the first quarter. This year, as Easter fell in April, the boost will come in the second quarter figures.
However, Le Shuttle increased its share of the cross-channel car market to 62.4% in the first three months, making this its best result since it opened in 1994.
Le Shuttle freight traffic was up 5% in March.
Eurostar passengers grew to 2.27 million in the three months to the end of March, up 2% on the first quarter of 2016.
Eurotunnel said this represented ‘a positive sign of a return of traffic which is expected to continue during the second quarter, especially given the record level of reservations for travel over the Easter weekend’.
Chairman and CEO Jacques Gounon added: "In the first quarter of 2017, the Eurotunnel Group has once again shown proof of its ability to generate growth. We reconfirm our confidence in our ability to reach our strategic plan for 2020".
