EasyJet, Ryanair fly through downturn as more passengers get on board

Easyjet revealed it flew 59.2m passengers in 2012, up 6.7 per cent from 55.5m in 2011.

Its planes were also fuller, with its load factor rising to 88.9 per cent last year from 87.5 per cent in 2011. The airline said it carried 4.9 per cent more passengers year-on-year in December at 4.4m. Its December load factor increased to 87.9 per cent from 85.6 per cent.

Rival Ryanair said passenger numbers grew four per cent in 2012 to 79.6m. Its load factor was steady last year at 82 per cent.

The Dublin-based carrier said it carried 4.84m passengers in December, up two per cent on the 4.76m it carried a year earlier.

Ryanair’s December load factor improved year-on-year to 81 per cent from 79 per cent.

Ryanair’s Stephen McNamara said: “Ryanair enjoyed another record-breaking year in 2012 with almost 80m passengers choosing one of our ultra-low fares between January and December 2012.”

EasyJet – whose shares are at all-time highs due to its resilience through the downturn – has seen short interest jump six per cent in the last month to 2.7 per cent of its market value, as more investors bank on the airline’s growth stalling.