Budget airline Ryanair is considering charging passengers less if they agree to sit on bar stools instead of regular seats, a British newspaper reported Monday.

The move could allow the Dublin-based airline to carry up to 50 per cent more passengers while cutting costs by 20 per cent, the Sun newspaper said.

The proposal comes four months after Michael O'Leary, Ryanair's chief executive, said he might charge passengers £1, or about $1.80, to use bathrooms on his aircraft. The idea was quickly dismissed by a Ryanair company spokesman.

O'Leary has already discussed plans with Boeing about having space on planes where people could use bar stools.

Before those reconfigured planes could be ordered, Ryanair will have to get approval from the Irish Aviation Authority, the Sun reported.

"If they approve it, we'll be doing it," O'Leary said.

If the plan goes ahead, passengers using the stools will still have seat belts, the report said.

Known for its efforts to cut the cost of flying, the airline said Monday in a press release that its passenger traffic rose 13 per cent in June to 5.8 million.