EasyJet increases flights as summer demand takes-off despite COVID-19 uncertainty

Greater than expected demand has led easyJet to increase the number of flights it is offering over the summer, despite continuing uncertainty over the coronavirus pandemic.

<p>The budget airline expanded its schedule to 40% of normal capacity between July and September rather than the 30% previously expected.</p><p>The carrier said it has seen strong demand from UK holidaymakers flying to <strong><a href="https://news.sky.com/topic/greece-6029" target="_blank">Greece</a></strong>, <strong><a href="https://news.sky.com/topic/turkey-5859" target="_blank">Turkey </a></strong>and <strong><a href="https://news.sky.com/topic/croatia-7246" target="_blank">Croatia</a></strong>.</p><p>In response to the upbeat move, the company's shares, which have lost more than 60% of their value since the start of the year, leapt 8%.</p><p>While the government's decision to remove <strong><a href="https://news.sky.com/topic/spain-6015" target="_blank">Spain </a></strong>from its quarantine exemption list in response to a rise in <strong><a href="https://news.sky.com/topic/covid-19-8518" target="_blank">COVID-19</a></strong> cases had reduced the number of new bookings being made, most customers with existing plans were going ahead with them, according to the airline's boss.</p><p>Criticising the UK's approach towards so-called travel corridors, chief executive Johan Lundgren argued the policy was "not specific enough".</p><p>He called for it to be based on regions rather than countries, pointing out parts of Spain had far lower rates of infection than some areas of the UK.</p> <p>Figures released by the airline show in the three months to the end of June, easyJet made just £7m in revenue as a result of its fleet, like other carriers, being grounded due to the <strong><a href="https://news.sky.com/topic/coronavirus-8483" target="_blank">coronavirus</a></strong>.</p><p>In the two weeks from the middle of June when it started flying again, it carried 117,000 passengers in the 132,000 seats available.</p> <p>Mr Lundgren said: "I am really encouraged that we have seen higher than expected levels of demand with load factor of 84% in July with destinations like Faro and Nice remaining popular with customers.</p><p>"Our bookings for the remainder of the summer are performing better than expected and as a result, we have decided to expand our schedule over the fourth quarter to fly circa 40% of capacity.</p><p>"This increased flying will allow us to connect even more customers to family or friends and to take the breaks they have worked hard for."</p> <p>He also said the airline had urged the government to look at deciding quarantine-exempt travel corridors on "a regional basis".</p><p>Mr Lundgren said: "You see parts of Spain - the Balearics and the Canary Islands - who have significantly lower rates of infections than other parts of Spain and also in the UK."</p>