EasyJet is looking to grow and strengthen its position in Europe’s major airports amid the ‘current turmoil’ in the sector.
Just days after the collapse of Monarch and amid thousands of Ryanair flight cancellations, easyJet issued a trading update outlining plans to grow capacity by around 6% in the next financial year.
It also reported record passenger numbers of 24.1 million and record load factor of 95.6% for the three months to September 30.
"Passenger numbers and load factor in the final quarter set new records and the second half profit was over £100 million higher than summer 2016," said chief executive Carolyn McCall.
"The market continues to be challenging and easyJet has had to absorb a significant currency impact of £100 million in the year. However, easyJet continues to operate Europe’s strongest network and the current turmoil in the sector provides easyJet with opportunities to capitalise on its strong customer proposition and grow and strengthen our positions in Europe’s leading airports still further."
She said the airline’s profit before tax outlook of £405 million to £410 million represents a ‘good performance in a rapidly evolving and consolidating market’.
EasyJet will publish its full-year results on November 21.
