Passenger traffic at Aer Lingus rose 13.9pc in February compared to the same month last year, the latest figures from its parent company, IAG, report. Figures for the year to date are up 13.1pc on 2016, well ahead of sister companies British Airways (2.5pc), Iberia (2.1pc) and Vueling (11.4pc)
Overall, IAG, headed by Willie Walsh, carried 6,374,000 passengers in February, compared to 6,543,000 in February 2016 – a rise of 2.7pc. The biggest increase in passenger numbers was in the Asia Pacific region (10.3pc), while Europe was up 3.1pc.
Group passenger load factor was up slightly at 0.9 percentage points, but there was a fall in the North America market, with a drop of 2.6 percentage points. Aer Lingus’s capacity rose by 18.8pc, again well ahead of its sister airlines.
The results come after the recent announcement that Iberia’s Madrid to Barcelona air shuttle will now be now be operated jointly by it and Vueling. There will be up to 26 daily flights (16 Iberia and 10 Vueling) between the two cities with departures every 15 or 30 minutes at peak time and hourly throughout the day.
