Ryanair September Traffic, Load Factor Rise - Update

(RTTNews) - Irish low-cost airline Ryanair Holdings Plc. (RYA.L, RYAAY) reported Thursday that its passenger traffic and load factor for the month of September increased from last year, reflecting lower fares and improving customer experience.

Traffic for the month of September rose 5 percent to 8.50 million customers from 8.10 million customers in the same month last year.

Monthly load factor also improved 5 percent to 90 percent from 85 percent reported in the prior year.

In the preceding month of August, Ryanair's traffic was 9.4 million customers and monthly load factor was 93 percent.

Ryanair's Chief Marketing Officer, Kenny Jacobs said, "Ryanair traffic grew by 400,000 to a record 8.5m customers in September, thanks to our lower fares and our improving customer experience, including our great new website and mobile app, allocated seating, a free 2nd small carry-on bag and portable electronic devices use on all flights."

The company said its rolling annual traffic rose 4 percent year-over-year to 83.8 million customers.

Ryanair said it continues to deliver so much more than just the lowest fares in every market for its 83.8 million customers.

In late September, Ryanair raised its full year traffic forecast to 87 million customers from 86 million customers. The company then said it expects slightly stronger traffic growth in the winter schedule, as it opens new bases in primary airports at Cologne, Gdansk, Glasgow and Warsaw Modlin, as well as significantly increasing flight frequencies and schedules from Dublin to UK cities, and from Dublin to European capitals.

Ryanair's Chief Executive officer Michael O'Leary then said, "While still too early to be confident about H2 fares and yields, the continuing strength of our forward bookings and the improving customer experience leads us to cautiously raise our full year traffic forecast to 87m customers,....."

The company now anticipates full year net profit to be the upper end of its prior estimate of 620 million euros - 650 million euros.

In London, Ryanair shares closed Wednesday's trading at 7.44 pence, up 0.08 pence or 1.15 percent.