Ryanair flew 12.6 million passengers last month, 12 per cent more than the 11.2 million it carried in March 2022, figures show.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and Covid-19 restrictions hit traffic in March last year.

This year’s total was slightly behind the 10.9 million passengers who travelled with Ryanair during the same month in 2019, the year before the Covid-19 pandemic struck.

Ryanair operated 71,350 flights last month selling 93 per cent of the seats available on its aircraft, against 87 per cent in March 2022. The airline had flown 168.6 million in total over the 12 months to the end of March and sold 93 per cent of its seats, according to its statement.