Shares in easyJet climb 2.3 percent after the low-cost airline's monthlypassenger data was better than expected, when taking into account the timing ofthe Easter holiday period.
Trading volumes in easyJet come in at around 80 percent of the stock's3-month daily average - above those for the benchmark FTSE 100 index where volumes only come in at 20 percent of the index's 3-month daily average.
easyJet said its load factor in March - the proportion of seats it fills -rose by 1 percentage point compared to last year, despite the fact that Easterfalls in April, not March, this year.
"Given what other airlines have been saying about the timing of Easter, Iwould not have been surprised to see a little bit of weakness in the load factorin March this year, and yet we're seeing a bit of strength," Liberum analystGerald Khoo says.
The company in March carried 4.8 percent more passengers compared to thesame period last year, which was better than a 4 percent decline reported byrival budget airline Ryanair on Thursday.
However, Khoo cautioned it was difficult to read that much into monthlytraffic statistics because they do not give any insight into an airline'syields.
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