PASSENGER NUMBERS AT Ryanair dropped by 4 per cent in March from the previous year, the airline said today.
The number of passengers fell from 5.7 million in March 2011 to 5.5 million last month.
The decrease was the fourth month in a row that passenger figures at the airline dropped.
Passenger numbers at Ryanair dropped by 2 per cent in February compared to the previous year, from 4.57 million to 4.47 million. In Janauary, figures were down 8 per cent compared to January 2011.
In December, passenger figures decreased by 5 per cent compared to the previous December.
The airline has said the decrease in figures was anticipated as it has grounded a number of aircraft. Ryanair’s Stephen McNamara said:
As previously guided, Ryanair’s 2011/2012 winter traffic was expected to decline by approx 5 per cent as we sit up to 80 aircraft on the ground due to higher oil prices.
The airline also saw a decrease in overall passenger numbers in the final three months of 2011 from 17 million to 16.7 million compared to the previous year. The company brought in an average 17 per cent rise in fares during the same period.
Meanwhile rival airline Aer Lingus saw passenger numbers increase by 8.8 per cent in February compared to the previous month, and increase by 7.5 per cent compared to February 2011.
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