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Budget airline easyJet has posted a 56 per cent increase in annual pre-tax profits.

The low-cost carrier reported pre-tax profits of £201.9 million for the 12 months to September 30th.

Analysts had been expecting easyJet to report a strong annual performance after the airline revealed last month it was anticipating profits towards the higher end of forecasts.

The growth in profits for easyJet coincides with a 13 per cent increase in the number of passengers carried by the airline over the past financial year. A total of 37.2 million people travelled with easyJet over the 12-month period.

Meanwhile the load factor, a measure of how full flights are, was "consistently high" – averaging 84 per cent over the year, said the airline.

The company revealed its total annual revenue increased by 11 per cent to £1,797.2 million. Ancillary revenue, revenue outside that of gained from flight tickets, increased by 30 per cent to £171.2 million.

Unit operating costs, excluding fuel, were also 6.4 per cent lower – falling to £26.55 per seat.

However easyJet stressed it was anticipating increased fuel costs over the coming year, but said it expected the rises to be partly offset by the impact of the weak US dollar.

The airline, which expects this season's total revenue per seat to be broadly in line with last winter, also stressed it was anticipating an increase in underlying pre-tax profits of around 20 per cent over the coming year.

It said the forecast excluded easyJet's proposed acquisition of GB Airways, the airline which currently flies passengers to southern Europe and North Africa under the British Airways brand.