Budget airline easyJet has notched up a 34% increase in annual profits and said the “future for the company is bright”.
The carrier reported headline pre-tax profits of £610 million for the year to September 30, up from £455 million 12 months earlier.
It carried 7% more passengers in the most recent 12-month period at 89.7 million, and said trading was also boosted by strong demand for easyJet Holidays, with the division seeing pre-tax profits jump to £190 million, up 56% from a year earlier.
Outgoing chief executive Johan Lundgren, who will be replaced by chief financial officer Kenton Jarvis on January 1, said: “This strong performance – resulting in a 34% increase in our annual profits – reflects the effectiveness and execution of our strategy as well as continued popularity of our flights and holidays.
“It also represents a significant step towards our goal of sustainably generating over £1 billion annual profit before tax.
“It has been a privilege to lead easyJet for the past seven years. I am extremely proud of all that has been achieved, which is a result of the hard work of the entire team.
“I am pleased to be leaving a strong easyJet, the future for the company is bright and I look forward to seeing Kenton delivering his ambitious plans, generating positive shareholder returns while making low-cost travel easy for millions of customers.”
