Low-cost airlines Ryanair and Wizz were boosted by this year’s early Easter as traffic soared for both carriers in March.
Ryanair carried 13.6 million passengers last month, up 8%, with its planes 93% full. That rise came despite almost 950 flights being cancelled due to the conflict in Israel and Gaza.
Analysts at Peel Hunt said Ryanair’s traffic numbers were “stronger than we expected”.
The Irish carrier has picked up more customers as its relationships with online travel agents improved. After likening the sites to “pirates” last year, Ryanair has now signed deals with six online travel agents in the last three months.
Wizz, meanwhile, carried 4.8 million, up 12%, as its load factor hit 90.8%. It restarted flights to Tel Aviv during the month, and said further routes will resume through the Spring and early Summer.
Ryanair shares gained 1.5% to €20.84 this morning in Dublin. Wizz shares were steady at 2114p.
AJ Bell investment director Russ Mould said: “Wizz Air and Ryanair reported a material increase in passenger numbers in March with the former helped by flights to Israel restarting despite the ongoing conflict in Gaza. The company also expects a boost from the Euros football tournament kicking off in Germany this summer.
“The travel sector has enjoyed an impressive recovery post-Covid with airlines boosted by some capacity coming out of the market as less financially robust companies were forced to exit. The key question now is: how long will travellers continue to stomach higher prices in order to jet away.”
