Budget airline easyJet says it carried 17.5 million passengers in the final three months of 2022. That increased by 47% from the same time in 2021 when it carried just 11.9 million travellers.
EasyJet also cheered a bounce-back in traditional new year holiday bookings, with three record-breaking weekends for sales revenue in January so far. It comes as the company hiked its full-year profit outlook.
It says it trimmed losses in its first quarter and cheering a record surge in bookings since the start of the year. The airline said its headline pre-tax loss narrowed to £133 million in the three months to the end of December, against losses of £213 million a year earlier.
The group said it now expects its seasonal first-half loss to be “significantly” better year-on-year. This, together with strong bookings, is set to see it beat profit expectations for the full-year, according to the company.
The UK scrapped its remaining coronavirus travel restrictions in March last year. EasyJet chief executive Johan Lundgren said: “We have seen strong and sustained demand for travel over the first quarter, carrying almost 50% more customers compared with last year.
“Many returned to make bookings during the traditional turn of year sale where we filled five aircraft every minute in the peak hours, which culminated in three record‐breaking weekends for sales revenue this month. This strong booking performance, aided by the airline’s step changed revenue capability, has driven an £80 million year-on-year boost in the first quarter with continued momentum as customers prioritise spending on holidays for the year ahead.”
He added: “This will set us firmly on the path to delivering a full-year profit, where we anticipate beating the current market expectation enabling us to create value for customers, investors and the economies we serve.”
