Ryanair passenger numbers up 9% in strike-hit August

Ryanair flew 9% more passengers in August than a year ago, it said Tuesday, its purchase of Austrian carrier Laudamotion helping offset the impact of strikes and staff shortages. Ryanair came to terms with its Irish pilots late last month after strikes and shortages caused 550 flight cancellations in August compared to just 27 a year ago. The airline endured its worst 1-day strike earlier in August after a walk-out by pilots in 5 European countries disrupted the plans of an estimated 55,000 people at the height of the summer holiday season. Separate figures for traffic at WizzAir, which competes with Ryanair in eastern Europe and flies around a quarter as many passengers, showed numbers up 20% year on year. Ryanair's total traffic grew to 13.8m, including half a million from its purchase of Laudamotion. <br/>