Mexican carrier Controladora Vuela Compania de Aviacion VLRS, also known as Volaris, recently reported a year-over-year increase in revenue passenger miles (RPMs), a measure of air traffic, for May.
VLRS reported a 0.4% year-over-year decrease in consolidated capacity (measured in available seat miles). Consolidated traffic, measured in revenue passenger-miles (RPM), grew 4.9% year over year. Since traffic growth has outpaced capacity expansion, the load factor (percentage of seats filled by passengers) increased 4.3 percentage points year over year to 86.2%.
On the domestic front, RPMs decreased 1.4%, and ASMs (Available Seat Miles) decreased 4.4% from the May 2025 levels. The domestic load factor in May was 89.3%, an improvement of 2.7 percentage points from the year-ago levels.
Internationally, RPM increased 15.9% year over year, while ASM rose 5.7% year over year. Since traffic growth outpaced capacity expansion, the international load factor increased 7.2 percentage points on a year-over-year basis to 81.9%.
In May 2026, VLRS transported 2.68 million passengers, representing a 7.2% year-over-year increase.
Currently, VLRS carries a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell).
May 2026 Traffic of Another Airline Company
Apart from Volaris, another airline company that has reported traffic numbers for May 2026 is Ryanair Holdings RYAAY.
Ryanair Holdings
European carrier, Ryanair, reported solid traffic numbers for May 2026, driven by upbeat air-travel demand. The number of passengers transported on Ryanair flights was 20.7 million in May 2026, reflecting a 6% year-over-year increase. Apart from a year-over-year surge, RYAAY’s traffic in May was much more than the April reading of 19.3 million, the March reading of 15.8 million, the February reading of 13.3 million and the January reading of 12.7 million, highlighting continued momentum from the beginning of the year.
Ryanair’s load factor remained flat year over year as well as sequentially at 95% in May 2026, reflecting stable and consistent demand for the carrier’s services. It improved from the load factor of 93% reported in both the months of April and March 2026, 92% reported in February 2026 and 91% reported in January 2026.
RYAAY operated more than 1,14,000 flights in May 2026. This marks an improvement from 1,08,000 flights operated in April 2026, 88,000 flights operated in March 2026, 75,000 flights operated in February 2026 and 73,000 flights operated in January 2026, reflecting expanded capacity to meet strong passenger demand.
Stocks to Consider
Investors interested in the Zacks Transportation sector may consider International Seaways INSW and Expeditors International of Washington, Inc. EXPD.
INSW currently sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.
INSW has an expected earnings growth rate of more than 100% for the current year. The company has an encouraging earnings surprise history. Its earnings topped the Zacks Consensus Estimate in each of the trailing four quarters, delivering an average beat of 33.93%.
EXPD currently carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).
Expeditors has an expected earnings growth rate of 11.9% for the current year. The company has an encouraging earnings surprise history. Its earnings outpaced the Zacks Consensus Estimate in each of the trailing four quarters, delivering an average beat of 13.96%.
Beyond Nvidia: AI's Second Wave Is Here
The AI revolution has already minted millionaires. But the stocks everyone knows about aren't likely to keep delivering the biggest profits. AI’s second wave is moving from infrastructure to implementation and these companies are at the forefront of this transition, positioned to become what Amazon and Google were to the internet era.
See Stocks Now >>Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report
Ryanair Holdings PLC (RYAAY): Free Stock Analysis Report
Expeditors International of Washington, Inc. (EXPD): Free Stock Analysis Report
Controladora Vuela Compania de Aviacion, S.A.B. de C.V. (VLRS): Free Stock Analysis Report
International Seaways Inc. (INSW): Free Stock Analysis Report
This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).