EasyJet load factor declines impacting share price

easyJet has reported that the number of passengers carried grew by 4.3% in March to 5.7 million although the airline’s load factor declined by 1.3 percentage points to 91.3% from 92.6% in the year-ago period. Shares traded down 2.2% on the news this morning. The airline stated that while the number of passengers carried rose in March year-on-year, its load factor declined following cancellations due to strikes in France. easyJet had to cancel 611 flights in March due to the French air traffic control strikes. On a rolling 12-month basis, easyJet’s passenger numbers rose by 7.2% to 70.8 million from