FastJet passenger numbers rise ahead of new plane arrival

Africa-focused no frills airline FastJet (LON:FJET) has seen more growth ahead of a major expansion scheduled to start next month.

Passenger numbers increased to 50,552 in September, an 18.7% increase over the previous year, though its planes were slightly less full with the load factor dropping to 52.5% from 55.4%.

On a rolling twelve months basis, the total number of passengers carried was almost two-thirds higher at 628,312.

These statistics relate to the current Fly540 network operating out of Kenya, Tanzania, Angola and Ghana.

Fly540 was spun out of conglomerate Lonrho (LON:LONR) to become FastJet, which is now being developed as an Pan African airline by the team that established easyJet in Europe.

EasyJet’s founder Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou is both a shareholder and director of FastJet, which aims to use the European blueprint to build a carrier with a 40-strong fleet and 12 million passengers a year.

The first plane of the new fleet, an Airbus 319, is set to start flying from Tanzania in November.