EasyJet battled through the turbulence of strikes and fire to impress the City as holidaymakers fled to the sun.
The budget airline has been buffeted by French air traffic control strikes and a fire at Rome’s Fiumicino airport, which combined meant 1463 flights were cancelled between April and June — more than twice as many as last year.
The FTSE 100 airline, led by Carolyn McCall, also voiced worries over an “uncertain” climate amid Greece’s debt woes and the potential impact of the deadly terror attack in Tunisia.
But demand for flights on European beach routes and within the UK was strong, sending easyJet’s shares up 5% or 83.5p to 1749.5p.
The firm said the strike disruption had not had as big an impact as feared on revenues per seat, which fell 2.8% rather than the 4% drop guided in May.
Profits for the year to September will be between £620 million and £660 million, broadly in line with City hopes and better than last year’s £581 million.
EasyJet flies from airports including Manchester and Stansted, whose parent company, Manchester Airports Group (MAG), today warned that the latter airport could be full by 2030, when it will need a second runway.
Following the Aiport Commission’s decision to back a third runway at Heathrow, MAG boss Charlie Cornish said: “There’s no doubt that the south of England needs extra capacity, but the Government needs to take the debate beyond Heathrow and Gatwick.
“For instance, we need better rail connections between Stansted and London, and to look at transport infrastructure around other regional UK airports. The Government must not miss the opportunity to do this now — it’s a UK-wide issue.”
MAG, which also owns East Midland and Bournemouth airports, saw its overall passenger numbers rise by 10.7% to 48.5 million in the year ending March 31, with growth at Stansted and Manchester exceeding that of Heathrow and Gatwick airports combined.
