EasyJet plans to increase capacity on routes to North Africa by 35% during winter 2024-25 as part of efforts to narrow financial losses during the low season.
The UK-based carrier reported a pre-tax loss of £347 million ($440 million) for the six months ending March 31, an improvement from a loss of £415 million for the same period a year ago. The airline believes more targeted flying to points in Tunisia and Egypt will help reduce losses further.
“We remain focused on making a profit in the December quarter and minimising the losses that all airlines make through the March quarter,” said CFO Kenton Jarvis, who will take over as easyJet’s CEO from Johan Lundgren at the start of 2025.
Speaking during an analyst presentation, Lundgren emphasized that the airline would not be “throwing on capacity and hoping for the best,” but instead focusing on improving productivity and aircraft utilization, along with adding more targeted winter sun routes, highlighting North Africa as a focus.
During the winter 2023-24 season, easyJet served nine destinations in North Africa, including Agadir, Essaouira, Marrakech and Rabat in Morocco; Giza, Hurghada, Marsa Alam and Sharm El-Sheikh in Egypt; and Enfidha in Tunisia. The airline’s overall capacity to the region rose by 72% last winter compared to the 2022-23 season and was up by 98% on winter 2019-20.
Alongside the planned North Africa growth, easyJet is also introducing its first flights to West Africa from late October with the launch of two routes to Cape Verde. Flights will be offered from Lisbon Airport and Porto Airport, both in Portugal, to Sal, becoming the farthest point south and the farthest point west in the LCC’s network.
Lundgren said current travel demand in Europe remains robust, with over a million more passengers booked compared to the same time last year. He added the airline is continuing to optimize its network to ensure capacity is deployed in the markets where demand and returns are the strongest. This has included a rationalization of capacity in Berlin—a process that began in 2022—and further growth from Lisbon and Porto.
Two new bases have been opened during 2024 so far, in Birmingham, England, and Alicante, Spain, while easyJet will reopen a base at London Southend Airport during summer 2025.
CCO Sophie Dekkers noted that the competitive landscape remains challenging, highlighting that Ryanair is adding 40 aircraft and 8.9 million seats this summer. However, she emphasized that most of Ryanair’s growth is not on routes directly competing with easyJet.
Additionally, Dekkers said that capacity reduction in Tel Aviv because of the Israel-Hamas war has allowed the airline to increase seats across the rest of its network, enabling the carrier to boost capacity into key leisure markets such as Greece and Spain.
Jarvis said that easyJet’s upgauging process remains on track as the airline expects to receive 16 Airbus A320neo-family aircraft as planned during the 2024 financial year. The airline already has 78 A320neo-family aircraft and an order book for an additional 306, alongside 100 purchase rights. The new aircraft will replace easyJet’s 88 A319s.
“We’re very pleased to be getting the 16 aircraft that were slated for this year,” Jarvis said, adding that while only nine aircraft deliveries are expected in 2025, easyJet can adjust its fleet size based on demand by retaining some A319s slated for retirement.
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