London pre-open: FTSE set for flat start

City sources are once again predicting a flat start for the FTSE 100, which looks set to open barely 10 points up from yesterday's close of 5,624, buoyed slightly by a strong close to US trading last night. No-frills airline easyJet saw a sharp year-on-year increase in the number of passengers carried in December, helped by the absence of severe weather conditions this time round. The number of passengers carried rose 13.1% to 4.14m from 3.66m in December 2010. The load factor eased, however, to 85.6% from 85.8% the year before.Underlying passenger numbers (adjusting for disruption) were 4% higher in December 2011, while underlying load factor was one percentage point up on last year.Longmartin Properties, a 50/50 joint venture between real estate investment trust Shaftesbury and the Mercers' Company, has tapped up Aviva Commercial Finance for a 15-year loan. The facility is for £120m and is at a fixed rate of interest of 4.43%. Longmartin will remit the proceeds of the loan after expenses to its shareholders through the repayment of loans and share capital.David McKinney, Chief Operating Officer of Pace, is to leave the set-top box maker after his position disappeared in a management restructuring.NR