Ryanair Holdings Plc said yesterday it carried 5.78 million passengers last month, 19 per cent more than a year earlier, though the average flight was slightly less full.

Europe's biggest low-cost airline said its load factor, a measure of how well a carrier is filling available seats, was 90 per cent in the month, down from 91 per cent in August last year. "Ryanair are confident that passenger numbers will continue to remain strong," it said in a statement.