easyJet and Go passengers boom

LOW-COST airlines easyJet and Go, due to merge shortly, showed a clean pair of tail fins to rival Ryanair during June with passenger numbers growing by 52% and 72% respectively. Yesterday Ryanair said its growth had slowed to 34% year-on-year.

EasyJet chief executive Ray Webster said: 'Forward bookings for July and August summer holidays are looking pretty good.' Go's Barbara Cassani said the figures 'reflect the massive success of our new bases in Bristol and the East Midlands'.

EasyJet's load factor was static at 87% while Go's rose from 72% to 80%. Between them the two carried 1.51m passengers in June against Ryanair's 1.24m.

Go began flights out of East Midlands airport in March and now operates 10 routes from Bristol with destinations ranging from Nice to Alicante.

Webster admitted that yields, or the revenue earned per passenger, had 'been slightly softer' but added: 'That's what we expect to happen when we are growing by adding extra routes.'

He expects final UK approval for easyJet's £374 million takeover of Go before the end of this month.