EasyJet boosted by rise in business passengers

Low-cost airline reports 'strong start to year' with 17% rise in revenue and 8% increase in passengers carriedEasyJet has reported strong growth in revenue and passenger numbers for the last three months of 2011, thanks to a rise in business passengers and better weather than a year ago.Shares in the low-cost airline jumped by over 7%, making it the biggest riser on the FTSE 250 index, after it reported a 16.7% year-on-year rise in revenue to £763m. EasyJet carried 12.9 million passengers during the quarter, an 8.1% increase.EasyJet's growth figures were significantly improved by the disruption of last winter's snow. Excluding the impact, the airline says seats flown have increased by 2.8%.It has improved revenues from by 9.2% to £51.83 per seat.The airline said with around 70% of the first half of the year now booked it expects to absorb the impact of increased fuel costs, assuming no unexpected disruption occurs.Carolyn McCall, chief executive of easyJet, said: "EasyJet has made a