𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

Budget airline easyJet is poised to announce a significant uplift in its annual profits on Tuesday, successfully navigating the financial headwinds caused by French air traffic control strikes over the summer.

Despite earlier warnings from the Luton-based carrier that the industrial action would incur “significant” costs for all airlines, analysts anticipate a robust performance.

The airline had previously disclosed that walkouts in early July led to the cancellation of 660 flights and a £15 million hit to its finances, though further strike threats in October were ultimately averted.

Despite these disruptions and elevated fuel costs, most market observers, including AJ Bell, project easyJet to report headline pre-tax profits of £650 million for the year ending September, an increase from £610 million in the preceding year.

Looking ahead, analysts are forecasting continued growth, pencilling in a further rise to £740 million for the 2025-26 financial year.

A key driver of this success is expected to be easyJet’s expanding holidays division, which has already guided for profits exceeding £235 million for the full year, representing a surge of more than 24 per cent.

But its comments on booking patterns and consumer confidence will be watched closely after rival Jet2 said on reporting its half-year results that holidaymakers were continuing to book later to departure date.

Richard Hunter, head of markets at Interactive Investor, said a recent impressive performance from easyJet’s holiday arm “chimes with the group’s value-conscious appeal and the increasing body of evidence which tends to suggest that the family holiday remains almost sacrosanct and outside of normal budgetary restraints”.

But easyJet’s shares have failed to take off despite resilient trading.

Mr Hunter added: “For all the progress, the shares have fallen by 18% so far this year, putting easyJet potentially in the firing line for demotion from the FTSE 100 in the upcoming December reshuffle.

“Indeed, the share price remains down by 62% from pre-pandemic levels, let alone the record highs of 10 years ago, since which time the shares have fallen by 71%, resulting in the group flitting in and out of the premier index.”