EasyJet closes in on Ryanair with March traffic

Budget airline EasyJet today said passenger numbers jumped 4.8 per cent last month, despite the later arrival of Easter this year.

The Luton-based carrier flew 5.1 million passengers in March, narrowing the gap behind Rynair, which yesterday said it had suffered a 4 per cent decline in passengers for the month to 5.2 million.

Ryanair blamed the year-on-year drop in passengers on the fact that Easter, which fell in March in 2013, arrives in April this year.

Both airlines enjoyed a 1 percentage point increase in their load factor, but EasyJet’s planes were busier with a load factor of 91.5 per cent, compared with 80 per cent at Ryanair.