EasyJet has revealed quarterly losses after taking a £133 million hit from recent airport disruption, but insisted its operations are getting back to normal following cuts to its flight programme.
The budget airline reported a group headline loss before tax of £114 million for the three months to June 30, blaming "widespread operational challenges" and flight cancellations due to staff shortages at airports.
The result marked an improvement on the £318 million loss seen a year ago, but comes despite easyJet's passenger numbers jumping more than sevenfold to 22 million in the quarter.
EasyJet chief Johan Lundgren said its summer operations had now "normalised" and were "much improved" in July after recent moves by airports to demand a cut in flight programmes.
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The carrier said it remains focused on ensuring "smooth operations this summer" and will continue to "fine tune" its schedule, signalling further flight cuts if needed.
It comes after airports such as Heathrow and Gatwick told airlines to cut their flight schedules following scenes of chaos as staff shortages left them struggling to cope with the sudden ramping up of demand for overseas holidays.
Holidaymakers have suffered flight delays and cancellations, alongside lengthy queues as airports have struggled with baggage handling, air traffic control and security.
EasyJet said: "The unprecedented ramp up across the aviation industry, coupled with a tight labour market, has resulted in widespread operational challenges culminating in higher levels of cancellations than normal."
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