EasyJet, Europe's second-biggest discount carriers after Ryanair, said today it is likely to be one of the few profitable airlines this year as the company gains market share.
Revenue in the fiscal third quarter ended June 30th rose 12 per cent from a year earlier to £721 million pounds, the Luton, England-based airline said in a statement.
The number of passengers carried increased 2.9 per cent to 11.9 million and the load factor, or proportion of seats filled, increased 1.2 percentage points to 84.7 per cent.
EasyJet has attracted customers as business travelers in Europe switch from full-service carriers like British Airways Plc to save money. The company said today that its market share increased particularly at London Gatwick airport and in Milan, Paris and Madrid.
Ryanair, the region's largest discount carrier, said earlier this week that its passenger numbers will rise by 15 per cent this financial year.
"EasyJet is continuing to perform relatively well in tough trading conditions and we expect to be one of the few
airlines to make a profit this year," chief executive officer Andy Harrison said.
Depending on business in August, underlying pretax profit for the year through September 30th will total £25 million pounds to £50 million, EasyJet said.
Bloomberg