British low-cost airline easyJet reported today a 16.5 per cent rise in September passenger numbers, in line with expectations, and said high fuel prices had not changed its earnings forecast.
"We reiterate our guidance from August: that we expect reported pretax profit for the year ended Sept. 2005 to be broadly in line with last year," chief executive Ray Webster said in a statement.
EasyJet said it carried 2.743 million passengers last month, up from 2.355 million in the same month last year. Its load factor - an indication of how many seats it has filled on flights - was 86.4 per cent of capacity, down 0.5 percentage points. British regional airline Flybe reported a 25 per cent rise in September passengers to 485,924 on Friday after introducing new routes and strong growth from Newcastle airport.
Flybe said advanced sales for its winter ski routes and other new destinations were ahead of expectations. EasyJet and larger rival Ryanair are preparing for a tougher winter after fare increases and solid demand helped them offset record fuel prices during the summer.
In August easyJet raised its profit forecast to matching last year's £62.2 million ($110 million).
Ryanair said this week its September passenger numbers rose 27 per cent, while British Airways reported a 7.8 per cent rise in traffic for the month compared with a year ago despite an industrial dispute at its caterer Gate Gourmet.