European no-frills airline Easyjet said today its average third-quarter fare per passenger slipped 2.8 per cent and there was strong growth in bookings for summer.
The carrier said its average fare for the three months to the end of June was £46.08 ($73.36), an improvement on the 10.7 per cent year-on-year drop to £37.45 in the first half.
Chief Executive Mr Ray Webster said forward bookings for the remainder of the financial year to the end of September were "showing strong growth" and the number of passengers carried on its aircraft were at similar levels to this time last year.
But average fare yields were marginally lower, he said.
"However, we remain highly dependent on the final quarter's trading, in what are still uncertain market conditions, for the achievement of our full profit potential," Mr Webster said.
Shares in easyJet last traded at 238-1/4p, and they have trailed the FTSE MidCap Index by 18 per cent since the end of its first half as investors have worried about a price war among European airlines cutting into profits.