RYANAIR HAS GROWN its profits for the first half of the year to €1.17 billion.

In its results for the six months to 30 September, the low-cost airline showed customer growth of 12% and revenue growth of 2%.

Those figures show that 64.8 million flew with Ryanair in that timeframe.

The company puts that growth down to its “Always Getting Better” ad campaign, which saw the formerly hard-edged company soften its public image.

They add that membership to the company’s website will become mandatory to “tailor services and improve offers for each customer”.

An analysis from Davy Research also points out the company has raised its long-term traffic forecast by over 10% from 180 million to over 200 million customers a year by 2024.

However, Ryanair says it “remains cautious” in its outlook.

“We have delivered a strong first half but weaker air fares and Brexit uncertainty will be the dominant features of (2017).

“Despite the uncertainty of Brexit, Ryanair believes that we can deliver profitable growth across Europe by controlling costs, lowering airfares, and maximising load factors in a manner that will most benefit our customers, our people and our shareholders.”

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