Go and easyJet flying high

FURTHER proof of the extraordinary growth in Britain's no-frills airlines came with easyJet and Go reporting they together flew 340,000 more passengers during February than a year ago.

Go chief executive Barbara Cassani, reporting a 74% year-on-year rise in passenger numbers, claimed defections from its former parent company British Airways are here to stay. 'Our figures reflect the trend of business travellers switching permanently from high-cost airlines to low-cost airlines,' she said.

Stansted-based Go, owned substantially by venture capitalist 3i after its £110m management buyout last summer, carried 358,000 passengers in February. EasyJet, which is expanding out of its Luton Airport home to Gatwick, reported that it carried 721,000 passengers in the month, a rise of 190,000, or 35%.

With Ryanair earlier this week reporting year-on-year February growth of 250,000, or 40%, to 886,000, the three main low-fare operators carried nearly 600,000 more passengers last month.

That compares with a long-term decline in BA's domestic and European short-haul traffic. A 55,000 decline on its routes last month means BA has lost 650,000 passengers in the market since September.