Easyjet profits rise sharply as passenger numbers increase

No frills airline Easyjet has reported a 21.5% rise in annual pre-tax profits, helped by increased passenger numbers.

Profits rose to £581m for the 12 months to end of September, up from £478m in the previous year.

The UK carrier also said it had transported 64.8 million passengers - marking a 7% rise.

Chief executive Carolyn McCall said EasyJet had "opened up clear blue sky" between the airline and its competitors.

Easyjet, which has a fleet of 226 planes, said the acquisition of slots at Gatwick airport from rival airline Flybe had boosted its performance.

The amount of available seats on Easyjet flights grew by

Norwegian's LA route revives budget long-haul hopes

A Norwegian direct airline service to Los Angeles has revived hopes for a budget long-haul market.

Budget airline Norwegian started the new twice weekly service out of London's Gatwick Airport on Wednesday.

Over the next two days it will also start flying twice a week from London to Fort Lauderdale and three times a week to New York.

Norwegian made its first foray into long-haul in 2013 with routes from Scandinavia to the US and Thailand.

Norwegian says that