Ryanair's passenger numbers up 10 pct in February

Ryanair said on Friday its passenger numbers in February grew by 10 percent to 8.2 million customers from 7.4 million the same time last year.

The Irish budget airline also said its load factor -- how many seats it fills on each flight -- rose to 95 percent from 93 percent.

Ryanair attributed the passenger number increase to its lower fares and an improved customer experience.

Kenny Jacobs, Ryanair's chief marketing officer, said he expected the number of customers during the whole year would hit 120 million, up almost 13 percent over the 106.4 million customers the airline carried in 2016.

Currently, Ryanair is ramping up its expansion at Frankfurt airport with 20 new winter routes and the deployment of seven planes at the home of German rival airline Lufthansa.

It will connect Frankfurt with major business centers on high-frequency and low-fare services, including Barcelona, London, Lisbon, Madrid and Milan.

Ryanair's new summer routes from Frankfurt, commencing on March 28, are attracting record bookings, with four routes to Alicante, Faro, Malaga and Palma on lower fares.

The Irish airline is headquartered in Swords, a suburb of Dublin. In 2016, it was both the largest European airline by scheduled passengers carried, and the busiest international airline by passenger numbers. Endit