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LONDON, Nov 30 (Reuters) - British airline easyJet
said on Tuesday it had seen some softening in demand in its
first quarter following COVID-19 outbreaks such as the Omicron
variant, but it remained well placed to handle the uncertainty.
The group, which has cut costs and prioritised the strongest
routes, said it had seen an encouraging start to the Oct.1 year,
with strong demand returning for peak winter holiday periods,
and increasing demand for summer bookings.
Revenue booked for the second half of its financial year is
ahead of 2019 levels, and it is increasing its fleet plan by 25
aircraft, with slots added at Gatwick, Porto, Lisbon and Milan's
Linate.
Airlines have been on a roller-coaster of a ride this year,
steadily recovering in the first half as first Europe and then
Britain reopened for travel, before fears started to grow about
the pace of the recovery, and as new COVID outbreaks emerged.
Airline shares plunged on Friday as news of the Omicron
variant of the coronavirus broke. Low-cost group Ryanair
had already warned that European airlines were in for a fraught
end to the year as infection rates in Europe surged.
Chief Executive Johan Lundgren said easyJet had become more
flexible during the pandemic, switching quickly to in-demand
routes, cutting costs and bolstering its balance sheet, which
would enable it to cope with renewed bouts of volatility.
"In summary, we remain mindful that many uncertainties
remain as we navigate the winter, but we see a unique
opportunity for easyJet to win customers and take market share
from rivals in this period," he said.
The group reported a headline loss before tax of 1.14
billion pounds ($1.52 billion) for the year to end-September, at
the higher end of forecasts, and said first-quarter capacity was
expected to be up to around 65% of 2019 levels.
It had previously forecast 70%.
For summer 2022 - the fourth quarter of its financial year
-it expects capacity to have recovered close to 2019 levels. It
did not give a full financial outlook however as customers book
flights closer to departure, preventing clear visibility.
($1 = 0.7507 pounds)
(Reporting by Kate Holton, Editing by Paul Sandle and Louise
Heavens)
