Consumers are continuing to show interest in cheap flights, despite the economic slowdown, according to easyJet, as it released figures showing strong passenger demand for August.

The second-largest budget carrier in Europe stated that its passenger load factor, or number of seats sold per flight in relation to those available, rose from 87 per cent in August of 2007 to 91 per cent for August 2008. The passenger number statistics were buoyed by both fleet expansion and the acquisition of GB Airways, rising nearly 25 per cent to approximately 4.6 million.

The easyJet figures are quite similar to those reported by Ryanair, the largest low-cost airline in Europe, which said that its load factor for August was 90 per cent. It added that its passenger numbers rose on fleet expansion as well, to 5.8 million, an increase of around 19 per cent.

“Summer trading has evidently been pretty strong. People have not been willing to sacrifice their summer trips,” an analyst at the Royal Bank of Scotland, Andrew Lobbenberg, commented. He continued: “The issue about whether the consumer stays strong in the dark days of October, November and December remains a concern.”

The strong performance seen at easyJet and Ryanair is a small consolation for the industry, which is currently facing combined losses over the next two years that are predicted to reach $9.3 billion.

Last month, budget carrier Zoom, based in the UK and Canada, became the 25th airline to fail, disrupting travel plans for thousands of passengers. Its collapse was of concern to industry experts who had anticipated the collapse of some carriers during the upcoming quiet winter season, but not during the peak summer period when cash flow is typically strong enough to keep even struggling airlines in the air.

www.easyjet.com