EasyJet passes 50 million passengers a year milestone

EasyJet has passed the 50 million passenger milestone, after passenger numbers increased by 19% in January. The budget airline carried 3.7 million passengers last month and 50.3 million in the year to January, up 8.5% on a year earlier. The airline has seen rapid growth since it began operating in 1995 when it had two aircraft, with two routes, and carried 424,000 passengers in its first year. Today easyJet is one of the largest airlines in Europe, operating 196 aircraft on 552 routes across 30 countries. EasyJet's chief executive Carolyn McCall, formerly head of Guardian Media Group, said: "To carry 50m passengers each year is a great achievement."