Low-cost airline easyJet carried almost 2.5 million passengers last month.

The 2,459,735 figure for August was 24 per cent up on the same month last year.

EasyJet planes were 88.6 per cent full last month, a fractionally better performance than in August 2003, when the load factor was 88.1per cent.

Ray Webster, the airline's chief executive, said August 2004 had been a good month and the budget carrier, which operates services from Gatwick, would be offering 176 routes for the forthcoming winter season, an increase of 70 on last winter.

Wednesday September 08, 2004