Airline traffic rises in June

International Airlines Group, formed by the merger of BA and Iberia, posted a rise in passenger traffic for June thanks to continued growth in first-class and business-class travel.

Traffic, measured in revenue passenger kilometres, rose 9.2 per cent versus June 2010, while passenger load factor – a measure of how well it fills its planes – was up 1.8 percentage points at 81.7 per cent. IAG said part of the rise in June traffic was due to favourable comparisons from a year earlier, when strike disruption hit BA's passenger numbers.

Meanwhile, no-frills rival Ryanair reported a 9 per cent rise in June passenger numbers, with a load factor of 84 per cent.