No-frills airlines suffer as duty rise slows demand

It came as easyJet confirmed that its average fares were expected to fall in the six-month period from April to October, traditionally its profitable half of the year.

In a further indication that tax increases are beginning to hit no-frills airlines in particular, BAA reported a surprise 1.6 per cent drop in passenger numbers across its seven UK airports in April. The worst hit of the big south-east airports was Stansted, an important base for both Ryanair and easyJet, where traffic levels fell 3.4 per cent.
Independent