Ryanair passengers failed to tune into a new onboard entertainment service offering videos and music for £5 a flight.

The no-frills carrier, which runs flights from Durham Tees Valley Airport, said an initial lack of availability of non-English language content programmes contributed to the disappointing trial.

The Dublin-based group announced a 26 per cent fall in third-quarter net profits to £24m after it was affected by record fuel prices and intense competition.

Ryanair warned that fuel costs would continue to affect it, but said it was still growing strongly and profitably in spite of the adverse market conditions.

The company launched a pilot entertainment system in November, charging passengers an introductory price of £5 to watch films, chart videos, cartoons and comedy classics.

Initial problems with the service were resolved, but without a significant improvement in customer take-up, Ryanair will abandon plans to extend the service to the rest of its fleet.

The company said it would suffer no financial loss if it decided to discontinue the service at the end of the trial period.

During the three months to December 31, passenger numbers rose by 13 per cent to 6.9 million.