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EasyJet said the Omicron variant of COVID-19 would continue to have a short-term impact, but the budget airline touted a strong summer ahead, with capacity returning to near pre-pandemic levels.
In the three months through December, capacity was 64% of pre-pandemic levels, while the load factor was 77%, missing guidance of over 80%.
Following the easing of restrictions in the UK in January, easyJet had seen a 'sustained step change improvement in booking volumes.'
For the quarter ending 31 December 2021, pre-tx losses more than halved to £213 million from £423 million last year as revenue increased to £805 milllion from £165 million.
easyJet said it currently had about 67% of Q2'19 capacity on sale, and is expected to ramp up through the quarter.
Q4 FY'22 capacity on sale, meanwhile, remained at near Q4'19 capacity levels.
'We see a strong summer ahead, with pent up demand that will see easyJet returning to near 2019 levels of capacity with UK beach and leisure routes performing particularly well,' the company siad.