Ryanair shares up 2.2% on strong passenger figures

Ryanair said it carried 9.5 million passengers in May, a 16 per cent increase on the 8.2 million it carried for the same month a year earlier.

The airline said load factor - a measure of how many seats are filled on each flight - rose 7 per cent to 92 per cent.

Rolling annual traffic to May meanwhile grew 13 per cent to 93.1 million customers.

Ryanair attributed the increase in passenger numbers to strong forward bookings, low fares and the continued success of its ‘Always Getting Better’ customer programme.

The airline recently unveiled the second phase of its customer programme with details of new features, aircraft interiors and a new look for cabin crew.