Ryanair passenger numbers fly 12% higher

Ryanair has posted a 12pc jump in September traffic, carrying 9.6m passengers last month.

Europe’s favorite airline noted that the rolling annual traffic to September grew 16 percent to 97.3 million customers.

Jacobs cited enhancements to the customer offering of a new vehicle hire service, a website, app, cabin interiors, crew uniforms and improved in-flight menus.

The airline’s load factor was also up to 94% that month – which means 94 out of every 100 available seats were sold on its flights.

Wizz Air said it continued to expand its customer offering, with nine new routes added to the network – four in Romania and five in Poland – starting in the second half of this financial year.

Figures released by global Consolidated Airlines’ Group (IAG), which took over Aer Lingus in August, show that revenue passenger km – a measure of passenger volume – at the Irish carrier rose 9.1 per cent in September to 1.78 million.

And AIM-listed, Africa-focused budget carrier Fastjet said its passenger numbers rose 33 per cent in September, up to 76,595 from 57,709, though its load factor declined to 64.0 per cent from 74.0 per cent due to an increase in its capacity year-on-year.

On a rolling 12-month basis to the end of September, the company said it carried 52% more passengers year-on-year.

Fastjet shares were up 0.20p, at 84.7p.

The airline said it had also launched the Slovakian language version of wizzair.com, its 23rd language.

Caine has chose to return to Australia to continue his career closer to his family, Fastjet said.