Ryanair said its traffic grew 5% to 13.3 million passengers in August with a load factor of 97%, growing to 13.8 million passengers with the addition for the first time of Laudamotion passengers.

Earlier this year, Ryanair acquired a 75% shareholding in the Austrian airline from former Formula 1 driver Niki Lauda and has pledged to significantly grow its operations out of Vienna.

Laudamotion carried 500,000 passengers in August with a load factor of 92%.

Ryanair said ATC staff shortages and an August 10 pilot strike caused nearly 550 cancellations in August, up from just 27 this time last year.

Kenny Jacobs, Ryanair’s chief marketing officer, said: “Ryanair’s August traffic (which includes Laudamotion traffic for the first time) grew by 9% to 13.8m customers, while our load factor was unchanged at 97%, on the back of even lower fares.

“Regrettably, over 100,000 Ryanair customers had their flights cancelled in August because of repeated ATC staff shortages in the UK, Germany and France, and one day of unnecessary pilot strikes.

“Ryanair, together with other European airlines, calls for urgent action by the EU Commission and governments to correct these ATC staff shortages which are disrupting the travel plans of millions of Europe’s consumers this summer.”