THE NUMBER OF passengers on Aer Lingus flights has risen significantly in the last year, latest traffic figures show.
Some 809,000 people flew with the former State carrier in March – an increase of 8.2 per cent on the same month in 2011.
Long haul flights saw the biggest rise, with passenger numbers increasing by 15.9 per cent year on year.
The airline also reported substantial growth in its Aer Lingus Regional short-haul division. Passenger numbers grew by more than 30 per cent compared to March of last year.
Some of these flights are operated by Aer Arann under Aer Lingus livery.
Overall, Aer Lingus said it has carried just over two million passengers so far in 2012. Last year, the figure at the end of March was slightly less than two million.
The figures have emerged the day after Ryanair reported its passenger numbers had dropped year-on-year for the fourth month in a row.
More: Ryanair passenger numbers record drop for fourth month in a row>
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