London - British low-cost airline easyJet said Wednesday that its half-yearly losses in the 2008/2009 financial year had risen to nearly 130 million pounds (196 million dollars), owing mainly to a sharp increase in fuel costs.

The company said in London that fuel costs had risen by 90 million pounds in the six months up to the end of March, 2009, almost double compared with the same period in the previous year.

However, easyJet said it was still expecting to make a profit in the full year ending in September.

The airline said it had been encouraged by an increase in passenger numbers by 2.9 per cent to 19.4 million in the reporting period.

The airline said that, for the first time, more than half of its passengers originated from outside Britain as passenger numbers grew by 21.8 per cent on European-based routes.

"While we remain cautious about the consumer economy, at current fuel prices and exchange rates, easyJet expects to be profitable for the full year," said chief executive Andy Harrison.