Ryanair passenger numbers surge 10% in April

Traffic at low-cost airline Ryanair rose 10% in April to a record 9.9m customers from 9m in the same month last year, the company said on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, the load factor – which measures how full the planes are – rose to 93% from 91%, and rolling annual traffic to April grew 17% to 107.4m customers.

Chief marketing director Kenny Jacobs said: “These record monthly numbers and load factors were delivered despite more ATC strikes in Belgium, France, Greece and Italy, as lower fares and the continuing success of our ‘Always Getting Better’ customer experience programme continue to deliver even more great value for our customers.”

Back in April, the airline announced a range of new initiatives to improve the customer experience that include new aircraft with slimline seats, more leg room and LED lighting.

The new initiatives will also include a ‘rate my flight’ function on the mobile app, which will allow customers to rate crew and flights and give real-time feedback.

At 0820 BST, Ryanair shares were up 0.1% to €12.75.