Ryanair’s chief marketing officer Kenny Jacobs.

Ryanair carried nine million passengers last month ­– a 16 per cent increase on its total for April 2014.

The Irish low-fare carrier handled 91.8 million passengers in the 12 months ending last month, which is a 12 per cent rise on the figure for the year ending April last year.

Ryanair chief executive Michael O’Leary, explaining the airline's changed approach, has said: “We’ve moved from being cheap and nasty to cheap and cheerful.”

In an interview with Flight International magazine, he said he had backed up his new strategy with a passenger charter published on the airline’s website.

O’Leary said: “If I'd known [the charter] would work so well, I'd have done it years ago.”

We’ve moved from being cheap and nasty to cheap and cheerful

In the interview, O’Leary admits he got some things wrong, accepting that the rigid one-bag-per-passenger policy as well as strict adherence to precise bag size, were actually disruptive to the boarding process.

As the magazine was being published, Ryanair announced it was lowering its airport check-in fee from €70 to €45 and also lowering its missed-departure fee from €110 to €100.

Earlier last week, the airline also said it had altered its fees for transporting sports equipment.

Previously it charged a €50 flat rate but has now set costs for five different categories, some of which are higher.

For example, a bike will cost €60 each way, as will other large sport equipment such as a surfboard or kayak.

Skis will now come with a €40 charge each way, and golf bags and small sports equipment (including bowling balls and racquets) will cost €30.

Chief marketing officer Kenny Jacobs said: “This is the latest in an ongoing series of customer experience improvements under the ‘Always Getting Better’ programme.”