Ryanair sees passenger numbers soar 15%

Budget airline Ryanair saw passenger numbers soar 15 per cent last month as it reaped the benefits of a drive to improve customer service.

Ryanair carried almost 9.7 million passengers last month. Picture: Nick Ansell/PA Wire

The Irish carrier, which on Monday said its first-half profits jumped 37 per cent after a “very rare” series of favourable events, carried almost 9.7 million passengers in October, up from 8.4 million for the same month last year.

Its load factor – which measures how full its planes are – increased to 94 per cent, compared with 89 per cent a year ago.

Chief marketing officer Kenny Jacobs said the figures represented records for the month and attributed them to “our lower fares, our stronger forward bookings and the continuing success of our ‘always getting better’ customer experience programme”.

He added: “Ryanair customers can now look forward to more service enhancements, as we continue year two of our ‘always getting better’ programme, which includes our new car hire service, a new website, new app, new cabin interiors, new crew uniforms, and improved in-flight menus, as Ryanair continues to deliver so much more than just the lowest fares in Europe.”