EasyJet confident of summer recovery after Omicron dents winter bookings

EasyJet has predicted a rapid recovery in time for the summer as travel restrictions are relaxed after warning of a tough winter because of the Omicron coronavirus variant. The low-cost airline reported a “sustained step change improvement” in UK bookings following this month’s relaxation of travel rules, and said it would return to near 2019 pre-pandemic flight capacity by the summer. Johan Lundgren, easyJet’s CE, said he expected “a strong summer ahead”, and that ticket sales from the UK to beach and leisure destinations were particularly strong. The warning of a difficult few months followed by a rapid rebound mirrored the outlook from low-cost rival Wizz Air earlier this week, and came as countries across Europe rolled back travel rules. EasyJet has begun to receive more bookings from UK passengers than from continental Europe for the first time since spring 2020 thanks to loosened travel restrictions, Lundgren said. As France, Switzerland and other European countries also reduce border rules, “we believe that testing for travel across our network should soon become a thing of the past . . . and have many reasons to be optimistic for the year ahead”, he added. EasyJet flew 64% of 2019’s flight schedules in the final three months of last year, lower than the 70% it forecast before Omicron emerged, the group said in a trading statement. Its aircraft were 77% full, again lower than forecast, which the airline pinned on late changes to bookings in December because of last-minute travel restrictions.<br/>