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LONDON, Sept 5 (Reuters) - British budget airline easyJet
will adjust its fleet and switch volumes to react to any
changes in demand if the British economy is impacted by a
possible no-deal Brexit, Chief Executive Johan Lundgren said on
Thursday.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has pledged to take Britain out
of the European Union with or without a deal on October 31, and
has said there might be "bumps in the road" in a no deal
scenario.
Lawmakers have passed a law to force Johnson to seek an
extension to that Brexit date to avoid a no-deal Brexit, but
there have been signs of a hit to economic sentiment already.
Britain's economy is in serious danger of entering its first
recession since the financial crisis as business confidence
wilts in the Brexit chaos, a closely watched business survey
said on Wednesday.
"We do have flexibility within the fleet also to shift
volumes, and we do also have a strong relationship and a good
fleet plan together with Airbus so we can make sure we capture
both upsides that come, and also if there is a dampening in
demand in there," Lundgren told reporters when asked how the
airline was placed to deal with the economic fallout from a
no-deal Brexit.
EasyJet has taken steps to prepare for Brexit, establishing
an air operators certificate (AOC) and licence in Austria to
protect its flying rights within the EU.
The airline is now also majority owned by EU nationals, thus
complying with the bloc's rules on ownership.
"We're actually operating now as if a no-deal Brexit
would've happened," Lundgren said.
(Reporting by Alistair Smout; editing by Jason Neely)
easyJet (EZJ)