Budget Airline Ryanair Sees Record Number of Passengers

Budget airline Ryanair has seen a record number of passengers use its airline in the past year.

Annual traffic has grown by 3% over the course of the year to reach 82 million customers - a record for the firm which operates more than 1,600 daily flights from 68 bases.

The news comes as the company says that traffic for April grew by 5%, with Easter playing a big part in the growth.

The amount of passengers using the airline increased by 400,000 to 7.8 million for the firm in April, in comparison to the previous year.

Figures for Ryanair look positive this year as January, February and now April's statistics show that traffic continues to grow year-on-year. March showed a decrease in traffic on 2013, but the aviation firm will be optimistic for the rest of the year following the latest release.

Robin Kiely of the airline group said: "Ryanair traffic grew by 400,000 to 7.8m customers in April due to the presence of Easter in the month, the continuing success of our lower fares and our improved customer experience, including our great new website, allocated seating, a free 2nd small carry-on bag and PED (portable electric device) use on all flights."

It's been a positive day for airlines after German firm Lufthansa said that it narrowed its losses by 45% in the first quarter of the year, thanks to a cost-cutting programme and a drop in fuel costs.