easyJet ready for Brexit as summer bookings rise

Uncertainty about Brexit negotiations are not hurting sales at easyJet, CEO Johan Lundgren said Tuesday, adding the British budget airline is well-prepared should the UK leave the European Union without a deal next March. Bookings for around that time have not seen any drop-off and those for next summer are slightly ahead of summer sales a year ago, Lundgren said. “There doesn’t seem to be any concern for people to book their holidays and go away for next summer,” easyJet CEO Johan Lundgren said. “We’ve been preparing ourselves for the past two years for any scenario, a deal or a no deal." Larger rival Ryanair has warned that depending on the deal reached, Brexit could force carriers to ground flights. As well as setting up a new airline in Austria, Lundgren said that by the time the UK leaves the EU next year, easyJet aims to have over 50% of its shareholders from outside the UK and from other EU countries, up from 47% currently, to enable it to comply with EU rules. The airline reported a 41% jump in annual profit Tuesday, helped in part by the collapse of smaller rival Monarch and cancellations and strikes at Ryanair, which last month issued a profit warning. <br/>