Easy Jet boss Kenton Jarvis has said the company will not be affected by a fuel shortage this summer, but that travellers are delaying their bookings, the BBC reports.
Jarvis told the BBC that travellers should not panic as the airline sees no problems with fuel supplies, adding that people can safely buy tickets.
The conflict in the Middle East, which began in late February with US and Israeli attacks on Iran, has led to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, which is normally a transit route for most of the jet fuel used in Europe, and prices have almost doubled.
Earlier this week, Easy Jet’s rival Ryanair said that Europe currently has a relatively good supply of jet fuel.
Jarvis said that so far the company has not encountered any fuel supply problems at its airports in the UK, mainland Europe or elsewhere. He added that it is in close contact with fuel suppliers, airports and national governments, and there has been no concern from these sides either. The head of Easy Jet indicated that it is therefore safe to say that
there is no reason to panic, and the entire company’s summer flight schedule will be executed without problems.
The airline will also not raise ticket prices due to higher fuel prices.
According to Jarvis, fuel production has been increased in Norway, West Africa and the Americas, and aviation fuel production capacity outside the Persian Gulf region has also grown significantly.
One of the main changes that Easy Jet has noticed is the timing of flight bookings – demand for flights in the same month has increased significantly. Looking further ahead, people are more careful, waiting and watching, but still buying flights. Jarvis predicted that booking flights in short terms will continue throughout the summer.
Other airlines have also noticed the trend. Jet2 said it had seen a surge in bookings in advance of flights in April, while Tui saw a 10% drop in revenue from British customers booking summer holidays.
Travel agency group Advantage Travel Partnership said there was strong demand for holidays in the coming weeks, suggesting customers were cautious about the future. At the same time, the trend also suggested people’s desire to travel had not waned.
EasyJet reported a pre-tax loss of 552 million pounds in March for the previous six months. Winter is usually a time when airlines suffer losses, which are usually offset by profits in the summer. The airline stressed that its financial performance in the second half of the year will be affected by higher fuel prices and uncertainty about demand.
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