Aer Lingus has had its most profitable quarter since the financial crisis.

An interim management statement shows the airline reported operating profit of just under €113m for the three months to the end of September.

That figure is up 19% on the same time last year.

The total number of passengers carried during October, including Aer Lingus Regional, was 979,000 - up 2.3% compared to October 2013.

The carrier says long haul traffic increased by 29% to 129,000 passengers in October compared to 100,000 for the same month last year.

Meanwhile short haul numbers stood at 738,000 passengers, compared to 754,000 in 2013.

Newstalk's business editor Ian Guider says the increase in profits is down to the passenger numbers.