Passengers flock to Easyjet

London (AFP) - Rising passenger numbers and a lid on costs helped to lift profits at Easyjet during the past year, the British no-frills airline said on Tuesday.

Pre-tax profits surged 22 percent to £581 million ($909 million, 726 million euros) in the 12 months to the end of September compared with one year earlier, Easyjet said in a statement.

"Ryanair isn't the only low-cost airline having a good year; Easyjet's numbers for its fiscal year are in -- and they?re overwhelmingly positive," said Daniel Sugarman, market strategist at traders ETX Capital.

Net profits rallied 13 percent to £450 million.

Passenger numbers jumped seven percent to 64.8 million, with Easyjet winning a late boost as Air France cancelled flights in September because of a record two-week-long pilots' strike.

"Our performance demonstrates our continued focus on cost," said Easyjet chief executive Carolyn McCall.

Easyjet shares were down nearly 0.8 percent to 1,532.13 pence in late afternoon trading.