EasyJet says it is back on track after battling volcano
Incoming easyJet chief executive Carolyn McCall was greeted by a 9.4 per cent year-on-year increase in passengers on the budget airline.
The figures represent the largest monthly increase since before flights were interrupted by the Icelandic volcanic ash cloud.
The airline carried 4.54m passenger in June, up from 4.15m a year ago, while its load factor – a measure of how it fills its planes – increased 0.9 percentage points to 87.2 per cent.
A spokesman told City A.M. the airline has bounced back after being hit by the volcano.
He said: “This is a very strong record. The figures are back where we expected them to be before things were disrupted by the ash cloud.
“We were also given a helping hand by passengers choosing us thanks to disruptions at British Airways.”
EasyJet swallowed an estimated £75m in losses during the six-day volcanic ash crisis, forcing the budget airline to revise its yearly profit forecasts. The Luton-based carrier said pre-tax profits for the year are likely to come in between £100m and £150m, marking a drop from the group’s estimates of up to £200m.
McCall left the Guardian to take up the top job at easyJet at the start of this month. She was replaced by chief financial officer Andrew Miller.