EasyJet has announced a 24 per cent rise in August passenger numbers, and raised hopes for September data, despite the impact of a revamp which has seen Zurich flights axed and services to Copenhagen and Amsterdam reduced.

The airline carried 2.45 million passengers last month, compared with 1.98 million the year before, taking the total number it has attracted in the last year to 23.8 million.

The proportion of seats going empty on easyJet flights fell to 11.4 per cent from 11.9 per cent in August 2003.

The improvements came despite the lateness of the August Bank Holiday, which meant that many travellers flying abroad for a long weekend did not return until September.

Ray Webster, the easyJet chief executive, said: "August was a good month."

The airline has also opened a shake-up aimed at shoring up profitability at a time of mounting competition in the short-haul European aviation market, with Ryanair, the sector leader, repeatedly warning that many small rivals face collapse. EasyJet has reduced services to some airports, such as Copenhagen and Amsterdam, where charges "remain unsustainably high". It has quit Zurich after six years, transferring custom to Basle, while announcing ten new routes, including the airline's first flights to Tallinn and Riga.

The carrier will, this winter, offer 176 routes compared with the 106 served a year before.

EasyJet shares stood 0.25p higher at 150p in afternoon trade.

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