It was interesting to see both package holiday giant TUI and budget airline Ryanair use the word “robust” in recent days in relation to customer demand as they updated investors on financial performance.

Given the economic headwinds that have weighed so heavily on households for so long now, it was reassuring to hear that this protracted squeeze is not dampening overall demand for overseas travel.

Airline easyJet was also in fine fettle yesterday as it published half-year results, declaring: “We continue to see a positive build in demand for easyJet's flights and holidays this summer, with booked load factors ahead year-on-year for both Q3 and Q4.”

easyJet’s first-half revenues rose from £2.046 billion to £2.156bn. This rise was assisted by a jump in the revenues of its easyJet holidays division to £400m in the six months to March 31, from £311m in the previous first half.

And, late last month, package holiday company and airline Jet2 was in upbeat form as it reported “healthy profit growth”.

Both TUI, which like Jet2 operates an airline as well as offering package holidays, and Ryanair flagged the impact of the later Easter on their results to end-March.

Much of the coverage on Ryanair’s results on Monday focused on the fall in its profits.

However, while the airline again highlighted its position that delays in the delivery of Boeing aircraft are constraining its growth potential, it also declared it had become “the first EU airline to carry 200 million guests in one year”.

Its passenger........

© Herald Scotland