EasyJet lost £3.5 million per day through spring 2021
One out of three seats was empty between April and June
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Britain’s biggest budget airline lost £3.5m per day between April and June 2021, with passenger numbers way below pre-pandemic levels.
But in its trading update for the third quarter of its financial year, easyJet said the £318m headline loss before tax – representing £40 per second – was in line with expectations.
The carrier says it has “maintained its disciplined approach to capacity and cash management”. Net debt is broadly flat at around £2bn.
Passenger numbers were below 3 million, with only 66 per cent of seats filled – compared with around 93 per cent before the pandemic.
Even in its busiest month of June, capacity was only one-sixth of 2019 levels.
Looking ahead to the peak summer months of July, August and September, easyJet says it will fly up to 60 per cent of pre-pandemic traffic.
Johan Lundgren, chief executive of easyJet, said: “We have used our existing strengths like our network with renewed purpose – pivoting capacity to Europe where we saw the strongest demand.”
He told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that two-thirds of revenue was from continental Europe, compared with 50 per cent before the pandemic.
“The UK has had some of the toughest travel restrictions,” he said.
“We know people want to fly, we know they want to travel. It’s all about the unwinding of restrictions.”
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments