Last checked at 
* FY loss of 1.27 bln stg vs 430 mln stg profit last yr
* Bookings rise 50% on day of positive vaccine news
* Cash burn improves in Q4 vs Q3
* To extend borrowing under UK COVID lending scheme
(Adds share price, analyst comment)
By Sarah Young
LONDON, Nov 17 (Reuters) - EasyJet's bookings jumped by 50%
on the day there was positive news about a coronavirus vaccine,
a brief respite during a pandemic which pushed the British
airline to a 1.27 billion pound ($1.68 billion) annual loss, the
first in its history.
European travel has been at very low levels for over eight
months and easyJet's loss for the 12 months to the end of
September showed the extent of the pandemic's impact on the
airline.
But chief executive Johan Lundgren said that underlying
demand for travel was strong.
"We know that down the line people want to travel. Just by
the news of the vaccine, you know, last Monday bookings were up
close to 50%," he told BBC Radio on Tuesday.
EasyJet's shares rose 45% last week, helped by the vaccine
news. Shares in the company were up 1.6% to 788 pence at 0802
GMT on Tuesday in a release which Goodbody analysts said
contained "no surprises....which can be taken well".
The pandemic has crushed easyJet's finances, forcing it to
take on more debt, tap shareholders for extra cash and sell
dozens of its aircraft, but Lundgren reassured investors on
Tuesday.
"No, we think we're in a good position...at this moment in
time," Lundgren said when asked if easyJet would need to raise
more money.
"But we also said that we're going to continue to review all
the options that are out there to make sure that we can cope
with the circumstances and you know there's still a lot of
uncertainty about when the recovery is going to take place."
EasyJet has repeatedly said it is keeping its liquidity
position under review as the outlook for travel has worsened.
It said that after talks with the Bank of England and the UK
government's finance ministry, it will extend its borrowing
under a COVID Corporate Finance Facility, staggering repayments
and relieving pressure on its balance sheet.
Quarterly cash burn, a gauge watched by investors keen to
see costs reduced, improved to 651 million pounds from 774
million pounds in the previous period.
With lockdowns in England, France and Germany, easyJet is
currently flying around 20% of planned capacity and said
short-term uncertainty was such that it could not provide any
financial guidance.
($1 = 0.7576 pounds)
(Reporting by Sarah Young; additional reporting by William
Schomberg, editing by James Davey, Paul Sandle/Guy Faulconbridge
and Louise Heavens)
