In a new development which has delighted all involved with the airline, Qantas has officially confirmed that for the month of October, the carrier recorded a 6.7% rise in its passenger number as compared to the same time last year. The rise has come as Qantas reports a hike in its domestic fares.

As has been confirmed by official figures shared by Qantas, Revenue Passenger Kilometers (RPK) hiked by 3.2%, while Available Seat Kilometers (ASKs) slipped by 1.1%. The developments boosted the revenue seat factors by a whopping 83.3%, which is 3.4% more than last year. For the complete year up-to October, a 6.2% hike was recorded in group passenger numbers.

As has been confirmed by the company, Qantas, and its domestic arm QantasLink, have informed travel agents of an increase of up-to $10 in ticket prices of nearly 14 of its important routes. A Qantas spokesman said the hike was ''just part of our periodic review of fares".

The hike in passenger number is being viewed by many as another sign pointing towards the steadily improving economy. Shares of the company rose by 3.7% to trade at a new high of $ 2.68.