Ryanair traffic ticks up 3% in January, load factor dips

Budget airline Ryanair reported a 3% jump in January passenger numbers on Friday, but a dip in the load factor.

Traffic rose to 12.2m from 11.8m in the same month a year earlier, while the load factor - which gauges how full the flights are - ticked down to 89% from 91%.

Ryanair had already cautioned at the start of last month that the removal of its flights from online travel agents would dent short-term load factors and soften short-term yields.

On a rolling 12-month basis, passenger numbers grew 10% to 182.1m and the load factor edged up to 94% from 93%.

The airline operated more than 71,700 flights during the month, with over 950 flights cancelled due to the Israel/Gaza conflict.

On Monday, Ryanair cut its full-year profit forecast as it posted a 93% decline in third-quarter net profit, as higher fuel costs offset revenue gains and after its flights were removed from online travel agents.