Easyjet’s chief executive says she is “cautiously confident” after reporting a strong first quarter.
The airline’s interim statement for the three months to the end of December said revenues rose 16.7% to £763 million.
Passenger numbers were up 8.1% to 12.9 million.
But the company pointed out that comparisons with last year were flattered because its business then was badly impacted by snow.
Looking forward, the airline said capacity in the first half of the year was planned to be flat, with growth of around 4% for the full year.
But the absence of snow disruption in the first quarter means it is now expecting to grow seats flown by around 3% for the first half of the year and by around 5% for the full year, assuming there are no significant disruptions.
Chief executive Carolyn McCall said: “The good performance in the quarter has meant we are cautiously confident in our outlook for the business.
“Although the economic environment remains weak, easyJet’s affordable fares and our focus on making it easy for our customers combined with the actions that management is taking ensures that easyJet is well positioned to continue to succeed.”
by Bev Fearis
