Passenger numbers at Aer Lingus rose in September, continuing recent positive trends seen at the airline.
Aer Lingus said its total booked passengers were 954,000 for the month, a rise of 2.9 per cent year-on-year. Short-haul passengers were 2.5 per cent higher, while long-haul passengers rose by 7 per cent to 92,000.
Load factor also rose, with the overall figure rising by 2.9 points to 83.9 per cent, as the airline increased capacity on long and short haul flights in the period. The airline’s venture with Aer Arann, Aer Lingus Regional, saw passenger numbers rise by almost 45 per cent to 71,000 compared to a year earlier.
Rival Ryanair earlier this week announced its own passenger figures for September, showing a 6 per cent rise year-on-year. The no-frills airline carried 7.25 million passengers during the month, compared to 6.84 million at the same time last year.
Its load factor dipped fractionally to 85 per cent from 86 per cent in September 2010. So far this year, Ryanair says it has carried 76.8 million passengers on its European routes, with a load factor of 82 per cent.