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Budget airline easyJet has reported a 3.3 per cent drop in passenger loads during April, down from 86.4 per cent to 83.1 per cent.

During last month the airline carried ten per cent more passengers, from 2,848,065 to 3,133,725, but its expansion in flights meant its planes were not as full as the same time last year.

Andy Harrison, chief executive of easy Jet, said that the drop was due to "continued competition" putting pressure on yields in the summer after high comparatives from last year.

"Our guidance remains unchanged," Mr Harrison said. "For the full year to September 2007 we expect pre-tax profit growth of 40 per cent to 50 per cent."

The airline took delivery of its 100th Airbus A319 in April, showing swift growth from September 2003 when easyJet took delivery of its first Airbus.

Mr Harrison remarked: "easyJet has taken an A319 into its fleet on average every 12 days – a faster rate than any other airline in history.

"The addition of the 100th Airbus takes the total number of aircraft in easyJet's fleet to 130 and, with an average age of 2.3 years, our fleet is one of the youngest and most environmentally friendly in Europe."

In terms of the rolling 12-month figures released by easyJet, its load factor fell by 0.2 per cent when compared to the yearly figure last April.

The company's first half results for the six months to March 2007 will be released tomorrow at 09:00 BST.