3rd Apr 2014 07:48
LONDON (Alliance News) - Ryanair Holdings PLC said Thursday that traffic in March fell by 200,000 passengers to 5.2 million, expected by the firm due to the movement of Easter into April from March last year.
The low-cost airline said traffic fell 4% to 5.2 million from 5.4 million in March. The load factor increased by 1% for the month to 80%. For the year to March 2014, Ryanair's load factor was 83%.
Annual traffic to March 2014 rose 3% to 81.7 million customers, a record for the company it said.
"Ryanair traffic fell... previously guided, due to the movement of Easter into April (from March last year). Ryanair's load factor increased by 1% as customers continue to enjoy our lowest fares, easier to use website and recent improvements in customer service including allocated seating and a free second small carry-on bag," said Ryanair's Robin Kiely.
Looking ahead, Kiely said forward bookings for the summer months have continued to grow strongly.
In March, the firm said it will add seven routes and increase flights on 21 existing routes in its winter 2014 schedule at Dublin airport, and eight new routes and increased flights on 36 other routes for its winter 2014 schedule at London Stansted. The firm also received a BBB+ rating from Standard & Poor's during the month, which, the airline said, makes it the highest rated airline in the world.
Shares in the airline were trading 0.28% lower at EUR7.7 per share in London Thursday morning.
By Alice Attwood; [email protected]; @AliceAtAlliance
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