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☆ Ryanair posts record Christmas quarter, sees 'very robust' summer demand
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-30 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Ryanair on Monday posted its largest after-tax profit for the October-December quarter and said bookings for Easter and summer flights in recent weeks were "very robust", boosted by demand from Asian travelers and a strong U.S. dollar. "We had record bookings in week two and week three of January, very robust demand into Easter and the summer without fare stimulation," he said. The Irish airline, Europe's largest by passenger numbers, said it had earned 211 million euros ($229.40 million) in the three months ended Dec. 31, the third quarter of its financial year. "With Asian tourists now returning and a strong U.S. dollar encouraging Americans to explore Europe, we're seeing robust demand," Chief Executive Officer Michael O'Leary said in a statement. Last week, rivals Wizz Air and EasyJet reported strong summer bookings.

"Flybe has now ceased trading and all flights from and to the UK operated by Flybe have been cancelled and will not be rescheduled," it said. A spokesperson for administrators Interpath Advisory said about 75,000 Flybe customers had future bookings that would now not be honoured. Headquartered in Birmingham, Flybe operated flights on 21 routes to 17 destinations across the UK and Europe using a fleet of eight leased Q400 turboprop aircraft. A spokesperson for Interpath said 45 members of Flybe's 321-strong workforce had been retained for the time being. Louise Haigh, the opposition Labour Party's transport spokesperson, said Flybe's collapse was "devastating news" for staff and customers.

☆ Wizz Air sees strong summer, but more wary than rivals
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( Sarah Young | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] People stand next to a Wizz Air aircraft at Ferenc Liszt International Airport in Budapest, Hungary, August 18, 2022. Low cost rivals Ryanair (RYA.I), Europe's biggest airline, and Britain's easyJet (EZJ.L) have reported record bookings for summer holidays, in a sign that consumers are still keen on trips despite a looming recession. Asked if Wizz had seen the same, CEO József Váradi said: "Bookings are strong, but I don't want to get over-excited." Separately on Thursday, British airline and holiday group Jet2 (JET2.L) upgraded its annual profit forecast after strong demand for winter holidays and said bookings for the summer were encouraging. For the new financial year, Wizz will benefit from hedging and new capacity, forecasting growth of 25% to 30% this summer versus last, helping unit costs to improve.

☆ Europe Inc earnings offer market optimists more hope
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Shares in ASML were lower after the results, having rallied recently to hit their highest since last April. Helped by strong orders in Europe, French train maker Alstom (ALSO.PA) posted an 8% rise in third-quarter sales. While it is still early in the corporate earnings season, the results offer some hope that recent economic data which has buoyed equities this month is grounded in reality. Swiss asset manager GAM (GAMH.S) meanwhile warned on profits after experiencing negative asset flows, knocking its shares 2.5% lower in early morning trading. ($1 = 0.8115 pounds)Reporting by Reuters newsroom; Writing by Josephine Mason; Editing by Catherine EvansOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Tech drags European stocks lower on earnings jitters
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( Ankika Biswas | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The pan-European STOXX 600 (.STOXX) fell 0.3%, heading lower for a second day with technology (.SX8P) and telecom (.SX8P) declining the most. "The weak outlook painted by Microsoft is weighing on the wider tech sector," said Michael Hewson, chief markets analyst at CMC Markets in London. European stocks came under pressure on Tuesday, as an improvement in economic activity spurred speculation that the European Central Bank (ECB) might have more room to raise interest rates to tackle inflation. Boosting UK stocks, EasyJet PLC (EZJ.L) jumped 10.6% after projecting it would beat current market expectations for 2023 and deliver a full-year profit. Reporting by Ankika Biswas in Bengaluru; Editing by Subhranshu Sahu and Sherry Jacob-PhillipsOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Strong bookings put EasyJet on path to full-year profit
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( Joanna Plucinska | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, Jan 25 (Reuters) - EasyJet (EZJ.L) on Wednesday said it expected to beat current market expectations for 2023 based on the strength of bookings into summer and was set to deliver a full-year profit, fueling cautious optimism for an aviation sector set on recovery. EasyJet Holidays also upgraded expectations from 30% customer growth to around 50% year-on-year and said the airline had almost 50% more customers than last year. Ryanair (RYA.I), Europe's biggest airline and a low-cost competitor for easyJet, said earlier this month it was expecting a very strong summer season with a reasonable prospect of average European short-haul air fares rising by a high single digit percentage. "Airline reporting season starts optimistically, and we expect easyJet to be the first of several strong prints. Earlier guidance looks overly cautious and numbers will need to come up," Bernstein analyst Alex Irving said in a research note.

☆ Strong bookings put easyJet on path to full-year profit
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( Joanna Plucinska | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

☆ European shares slip as investors weigh earnings reports
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Jan 25 (Reuters) - European stocks inched lower on Wednesday as investors assessed a slew of earnings reports including chip equipment maker ASML's, while fears of more interest rate hikes kept investors on edge. The pan-European STOXX 600 (.STOXX) fell 0.2% by 0816 GMT, with technology (.SX8P) and financials declining the most. Shares of ASML Holding NV (ASML.AS) lost 2% and were among the top drags on the STOXX 600, despite forecasting sales growth of more than 25% for 2023. Lonza Group AG (LONN.S) fell 2.8%, even as the Swiss drug contract manufacturer reaffirmed its longer-term growth prospects. Investors will monitor Germany's 2023 annual economic report in Berlin due at 1315 GMT amid easing fears of a recession in the euro zone's largest economy.

Lufthansa has offered to buy an initial minority stake in ITA, Italy's state-owned successor to Alitalia, it said on Wednesday. "This may be the next step in European airline consolidation," said Bernstein analyst Alex Irving, citing Portugal's national airline, TAP, as a prime target. Lufthansa, Air-France KLM (AIRF.PA) and British Airways owner IAG (ICAG.L) are potential buyers, analysts said. "At the same time, however, we closely monitor consolidation in the European airline market." Michael O'Leary, the outspoken CEO of fellow low-cost airline Ryanair (RYA.I), also weighed in with his predictions this week.

☆ European shares muted, UK outperforms as China-exposed stocks jump
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-28 | by ( Bansari Mayur Kamdar | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The region-wide STOXX 600 (.STOXX) was flat as of 9:31 GMT, while the FTSE 100 <.FTSE> advanced 0.7% as commodity-linked and China-exposed stocks jumped in early trading. The UK market, which was closed for holidays since its half-day trading on Friday, is playing catch-up, analysts said. The FTSE 100 index has benefited this year from its exposure to commodities as prices of oil and base metals have rallied amid the Russia-Ukraine war. Meanwhile, STOXX 600 was headed for an annual loss of 12.2% as concerns about an economic recession due to aggressive monetary policy tightening by central banks globally weighed on the European index. The technology sector (.SX8P) weighed on STOXX 600 on Wednesday, tracking the overnight fall in U.S. peers as rising yields pressured the interest rate sensitive shares, a recurring theme this year.

☆ Holiday travelers are trapped in an Iceland airport because snow-covered roads prevented them from getting to their hotels — or out of the country
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-21 | by ( Rebecca Cohen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Travelers are stuck in an Icelandic airport after a blizzard dumped snow on the country. Keflavík Airport, easyJet, and Icelandair did not immediately respond to Insider's requests for comment. Despite multiple warnings from The Icelandic Meteorological Office, Iceland's government, and The Foreign Office, passengers told NBC that the airlines seemed under-prepared and barely communicated through the chaotic weekend of cancelations. Ryan Stevens, a traveler from London who is still stuck in Iceland, told Insider that Icelandair poorly handled the situation. Stevens is out 1,500 euros due to three nights in a hotel and two additional booked flights and said he hasn't heard anything about reimbursements or assistance.

☆ Airlines can price climate change into your plane ticket. There are reasons to not buy it
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-17 | by ( Trevor Laurence Jockims | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +11 min

United Airlines , for example, has committed to net zero carbon by 2050 without any contribution from traditional carbon offsets. Southwest Airlines ' "Wanna offset carbon?" Consumer psychology and the environmentIt's not just about the dollar amount of the carbon offset purchase in the consumer psychology. If airline travelers want to stay environmentally conscious without paying carbon offset fees, Keyes recommends choosing cheaper airlines when traveling. "It's true that we all have a part to play in reducing carbon emissions.

☆ UBS says shares in this global airline are set to soar by 55%
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( Ganesh Rao | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Shares of London-listed airline easyJet are set to soar by 55% over the next year, according to UBS. The Swiss investment bank raised its price target to £6 ($7.34) a share after hiking its forecasts for passenger traffic and profitability at the pan-European airline. EasyJet's shares were trading at £3.87 on Tuesday afternoon, about 70% below its pre-pandemic levels. A recent decline in global oil prices and the dollar index works favorably for easyJet, analysts at UBS said. UBS forecasts the airline will reach 91% of its 2019 passenger volumes next year and return to pre-pandemic levels in 2026.

☆ Explainer: Why U.S. airline pilot wages are outpacing global rises
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-05 | by ( Jamie Freed | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

U.S. domestic demand was only 0.8% below than 2019 levels in October, while globally, domestic travel demand was 22.1% lower. REGIONAL PILOT SHORTAGEThe steep pay rise on offer to Delta pilots follows a series of large increases at U.S. regional airlines that serve as feeders to major carriers. Uniquely among world markets, the United States requires pilots even at regional airlines to have a minimum of 1,500 hours of flying experience. Faced with growing shortages of entry-level pilots and rapid attrition of more experienced ones to major airlines, U.S. regional carriers have lifted pay rapidly. The increases put pressure on major airlines to ensure their entry-level pay attracts joiners from regional carriers to cover retirements and planned fleet growth.

☆ Rolls-Royce uses hydrogen produced with wind and tidal power to test jet engine
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-02 | by ( Anmar Frangoul | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

The test used a converted regional aircraft engine from Rolls-Royce, with hydrogen produced at the European Marine Energy Centre in Orkney. LONDON — Plans to reduce the significant environmental effects of aviation took a step forward this week after Rolls-Royce and easyJet said they had carried out the ground test of a jet engine that used hydrogen produced from tidal and wind power. The test, which was carried out at an outdoor site in the U.K., used a converted regional aircraft engine from London-listed Rolls-Royce. "This is a true British success story, with the hydrogen being used to power the jet engine today produced using tidal and wind energy from the Orkney Islands of Scotland," Shapps added. Using hydrogen to power an internal combustion engine is different to hydrogen fuel cell technology, where hydrogen from a tank mixes with oxygen, generating electricity.

☆ UK airline easyJet says holiday demand holding up
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-29 | by ( Sarah Young | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The outlook could give investors confidence that holiday bookings can hold up despite the growing pressure on household budgets from high inflation, energy prices and rising mortgage rates. Historically demand for flights has tended to track economic growth and easyJet's biggest market, Britain, is already in recession. For the current winter period, the airline said Christmas ticket yields were up about 18% amid strong demand for travel. "EasyJet does well in tough times," Chief Executive Johan Lundgren said in a statement on Tuesday. ($1 = 0.8341 pounds)Reporting by Sarah Young, Editing by Paul Sandle and Kate HoltonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ FTSE 100 at three-month highs on hopes of China easing COVID curbs
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-29 | by ( Shashwat Chauhan | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The blue-chip FTSE 100 (.FTSE) was up 0.6%, hitting its highest since Aug. 26, while the domestically-focused FTSE 250 midcap index (.FTMC) was flat. World markets were rattled on Monday as protests against strict COVID-19 restrictions flared up in major Chinese cities over the weekend. Base metal miners (.FTNMX551020) climbed 2.8%, touching three-month highs, as prices rebounded on support for the property sector in top metals consumer China. Heavyweight energy stocks (.FTNMX601010) rose 1.4% as oil prices climbed on hopes of China easing its COVID controls. Reporting by Shashwat Chauhan in Bengaluru; Editing by Saumyadeb Chakrabarty and Savio D'SouzaOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Rolls-Royce successfully tests hydrogen-powered jet engine
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, Nov 28 (Reuters) - Britain's Rolls-Royce (RR.L) said it has successfully run an aircraft engine on hydrogen, a world aviation first that marks a major step towards proving the gas could be key to decarbonising air travel. The ground test, using a converted Rolls-Royce AE 2100-A regional aircraft engine, used green hydrogen created by wind and tidal power, the British company said on Monday. They said they were already planning a second set of tests, with a longer-term ambition to carry out flight tests. Planemaker Airbus is working with French-U.S. engine maker CFM International to test hydrogen propulsion technology. Other technologies backed by companies such as Rolls-Royce include electric engines, which would be initially suitable for short flights, and sustainable aviation fuel (SAF).

☆ EasyJet calls on over-45s to fill cabin crew vacancies
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] An Easyjet aircraft approaches Josep Tarradellas Barcelona - El Prat airport the day before a cabin crew strike, while it passes next to a Stop traffic sign, near Barcelona, Spain, June 30, 2022. The UK-based airline said it was encouraging adults aged 45 and over to train as cabin crew, building on the 27% rise it has already seen in that age group for crew since 2018. EasyJet said a crew recruitment programme some months ago had over 18,000 applications for about 2,000 roles, but it was still looking for more workers. The cabin crew role would be ideal for people whose children have left home, who have customer service skills and are looking for a new challenge, said the airline. "This campaign is about challenging stereotypes about the job and showing that being cabin crew can be a job for anyone with the right skills, no matter what their age," easyJet's director of cabin services Michael Brown said in an email.

☆ ITA Airways to expand fleet with 39 new aircraft in 2023
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

ROME, Nov 11 (Reuters) - ITA Airways will next year refresh its fleet with 39 new aircraft, allowing it to serve more long-distance destinations, the state-owned successor to Alitalia said on Friday. ITA "has underwritten all the commitments for increasing the fleet in 2023, next year 39 new generation aircraft will enter into service" including nine wide-bodied Airbus A330-900, the company said in a statement. Older aircraft will discontinue service, ITA said, stating that the upgrade will mean a 73% increase in the ASK (available seat kilometre) metric, measuring passenger carrying capacity. By the end of 2023, ITA said it will have 96 planes, half of which will be new, including the single-aisle A321Neo. ITA was established in late 2020 from the ashes of bankrupt Alitalia, and has yet to turn a profit.

☆ Ryanair expects to emerge as Europe's only major low-cost carrier
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

DUBLIN, Nov 7 (Reuters) - Ryanair (RYA.I) on Monday predicted it would eventually become Europe's only major low-cost carrier, with Chief Executive Michael O'Leary claiming a widening gap on costs would make rivals easyJet (EZJ.L) and Wizz (WIZZ.L) takeover targets. "Europe is inexorably moving towards a similar out-turn as North America where you will have three very large, somewhat higher cost, high-fare connecting carriers, and one very large low cost carrier" in Ryanair, O'Leary said. Wizz chief executive Jozsef Varadi, who has always maintained his cost base is comparable to Ryanair's, last week said he did not see his airline as a takeover target. But he said the British airline was being forced by Ryanair to retreat in other markets like Italy and Portugal. Wizz, O'Leary said, was making progress with expansion in the Middle East but was retreating in the face of Ryanair expansion in some parts of its core central and eastern Europe region.

☆ Ryanair is booming as flyers ditch pricier airlines
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-07 | by ( Hanna Ziady | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

The low-cost carrier posted its highest ever half-year profit on Monday, earning €1.37 billion ($1.36 billion) for the six months through September. That beat its previous record high of €1.15 billion ($1.14 billion) in 2019. It carried 95.1 million passengers during the period, up from 39.1 million a year ago. The strong earnings mean the company will reverse pandemic pay cuts for over 90% of its pilots and cabin crew from next month — earlier than planned. “These long-term pay agreements with the vast majority of our people have now delivered fully restored pay 28 months earlier than previously agreed,” O’Leary said.

☆ A vacation that promised to save Brits more than $200 on their bills sold out in 24 hours A vacation that promised to save Brits more than $200 on their bills sold out in 24 hours
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-25 | by ( Anna Cooban | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

London CNN Business —A winter vacation package that claimed it could save Brits more than £200 ($229) on their soaring bills for rent, food and fuel sold out within 24 hours this week. EasyJet (ESYJY) holidays, owned by low-cost British airline EasyJet (ESYJY), launched its 28-day “Escape the UK” vacation package to Hurghada, Egypt, on Monday, pitching it to consumers who work remotely. Brits are also struggling to keep the lights on as their energy bills have soared. But Brits who’ve booked onto the vacation package won’t necessarily save money, Sarah Coles, personal finance analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown, told CNN Business. Coles added that household energy bills include a standing charge, which must be paid even if no energy is used.

☆ A passenger plane came within 10 feet of crashing into a drone in a 'near miss' at 16,000 feet
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-25 | by ( Beatrice Nolan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

An Easyjet flight had a "near miss" with an "unidentified flying object," according to a new report. The pilot said the plane missed the unmanned flying object by around 10 feet. A report by the UK Airprox Board said the object was likely a drone. A National Air Traffic Services investigation report said the pilot first reported the incident over the radio during the flight. After landing the flight the pilot confirmed the plane had not made contact with the drone and the thud likely came from the cabin, per the report.

☆ Ryanair CEO predicts higher fares on 'surprisingly strong' bookings
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-13 | by ( Klaus Lauer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SummarySummary Companies Ryanair sees mid to high single-digit fare growthO'Leary says travel demand supported by high savingsBERLIN, Oct 13 (Reuters) - Ryanair's (RYA.I) bookings for the autumn mid-term and Christmas holidays are ahead of pre-COVID levels and it sees average fares rising by more than expected for the financial year to end-March, Chief Executive Michael O'Leary said on Thursday. "At the moment they (bookings) are surprisingly strong, we thought they would begin to ease off but actually forward bookings into the mid-term and into Christmas are stronger in terms of volume and pricing than they were pre-COVID," O'Leary said in an interview. "But so far everything seems to indicate that people are switching to the lowest cost airline and in all markets that's Ryanair," he said. It expects to fly 166.5 million passengers in the year to the end of March, significantly ahead of its previous annual record of 149 million reached before the pandemic brought the travel industry to a standstill. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Klaus Lauer, Writing by Padraic Halpin in Dublin; Editing by Mark Potter and Emelia Sithole-MatariseOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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