EasyJet grows passenger numbers by almost 10% in 2017 to 81 million

Almost 5.9 million passengers flew on easyJet’s planes in December, an increase of 5.5 per cent on the same month in 2016

December’s figures were strong despite 580 cancellations during the month, easyJet said (Getty)

Budget airline easyJet carried almost 10 per cent more travellers in 2017 than in the previous year, and managed to increase passenger numbers in December too, despite adverse weather conditions leading to well over 500 cancellations.

The airline on Friday said that just short of 5.9 million passengers flew on its planes in December, a rise of 5.5 per cent on the same month in 2016.

Load factor, a measure of capacity utilisation, increased by 1.5 percentage points to 91.4 per cent.

That took the rolling 12-month passenger figure to around 81.6 million, representing an increase of 9.6 per cent on the 74.5 million who travelled in the year to the end of December 2016.

December’s figures were strong despite 580 cancellations during the month, easyJet said. Around 400 of those cancellations were caused by adverse weather conditions. Industrial action also led to some flights being scrapped.

EasyJet’s success in growing passenger numbers in 2017 mirrors that of Irish rival Ryanair. Earlier this week the latter also posted a 10 per cent increase in passenger numbers for the year, to around 129 million, despite cancelling tens of thousands of flights from September as a result of a major pilot rostering fiasco. Ryanair’s traffic climbed 3 per cent year-on-year in December to 9.3 million.

The airline’s Scandinavian rival, Norwegian, has also reported a record year for passenger numbers, with more than 33 million people flown in 2017 – a 13 per cent increase. During the year the airline took delivery of 32 aircraft and launched 54 new routes, mainly between Europe and the US. Its load factor slipped fractionally from 87.7 per cent in 2016 to 87.5 per cent last year.

Bjorn Kjos, Norwegian’s chief executive, said: “Our international footprint grows stronger, in line with the Norwegian Group’s strategy. Our Scandinavian operation is stable and positive, and we see that our long-haul and short-haul networks complement each other, consequently strengthening our competitiveness.

“Our growing long-haul networks from the UK and Ireland continue to be well-received by passengers, proving the demand for high-quality, affordable travel. Increased tourism creates economic value and new jobs at all the destinations we serve.”

The airline has faced questions about its rapid expansion, and failure to fly profitably at a time when other carriers are making healthy returns.