Low-cost airline EasyJet has enjoyed a better-than-expected summer after an advertising campaign boosted sales and it benefited from cheaper fuel.
Europe’s fourth-largest short-haul carrier said pre-tax profits would be between £280 million and £300m in the year to 30 September, up from previous guidance of £272m and ahead of last year’s figure of £248m.
The group said revenue per seat was up 5 per cent at £57.58, driven by the success of its recent adverts, which feature images from award-winning photographer Elaine Constantine and music by Liverpudlian indie band The Wombats.
The improved performance combined with a drop in the price of fuel, which had spiked in March.
The record rainfall in June prompted Britons to escape to sunnier destinations abroad, EasyJet said, with Faro in Portugal and Malaga and Alicante in Spain the most popular destinations.
Last month the group said it planned to cut flights to and from Madrid by 20 per cent and would no longer base crew and aircraft there from next winter after the location delivered the lowest returns of all its bases.
EasyJet today said total revenues increased by 10.5 per cent to £1 billion as seats flown grew by 7.5 per cent to 17.9 million and passengers carried increased by 11 per cent to 16 million.
The group, which operates 600 routes across 30 countries, said around three quarters of summer seats were now booked, in line with the previous year.
Looking ahead, capacity in the fourth quarter is anticipated to grow by 6.5 per cent compared to the prior year, assuming no significant disruption.