EasyJet forecasts that it will exceed full-year market expectations for profit as strong bookings momentum shows no signs of slowing down ahead of the summer. In a first-half trading update ahead of its full release on 18 May, the carrier comments that it now expects a loss before tax for the six months until end-March of between £405 million and £425 million ($504-529 million), based on revenues of around £2.69 billion and costs of £3.1 billion. This compares to a £545 million loss in the same period last year and consensus of a £419 million loss, according to investment firm Goodbody. Its performance through the second half, which includes the peak summer flying season, will then be bolstered by strong sales for leisure travel that has characterised the post-pandemic period, and that should beat what the market had been pencilling in. “Demand for EasyJet’s flights and holidays has continued to grow in the half, resulting in more than a £120 million pound improvement in our performance as well as a billion pound revenue improvement year on year. This is further enhanced by our transformed network of popular destinations and improved revenue capability,” comments chief executive Johan Lundgren. “We see continued strong booking momentum into summer as customers prioritise spending on travel and choose airlines like EasyJet offering the best value and destination mix, as well as EasyJet holidays which is continuing its steep growth trajectory as the fastest growing holidays company in the UK. All of this means EasyJet expects to outperform FY23 market expectations,” he adds. Capacity growth through the first half was up by 35% on last year, while load factor increased by ten percentage points to 88%. Although this still means that capacity and passenger numbers were slightly below market expectations, with Goodbody noting that they are 20% down on 2019’s levels, “management have clearly looked to maximise yields and returns over this period,” the investment firm observes. It adds that “very strong pricing trends” saw revenue per passenger up by nearly a third year-on-year in the second quarter, a trend that is expected to continue into the second half – despite the fourth quarter only currently being 30% sold. EasyJet says capacity over Easter broadly returned to pre-pandemic levels of flying, with a sustained resumption of 2019-levels of capacity expected in the fourth quarter. The release “reinforces our belief that EasyJet will post a full year pre-tax profit number of over £300 million, with the market likely to again re-appraise the strength of the summer season to the upside both for easyJet and for the sector,” adds Goodbody.

Irish lessor Avolon has delivered 15 Airbus A320neos to Indian carrier Vistara. "We are delighted to have completed this delivery of 15 fuel efficient new technology aircraft to Vistara. The rapidly growing Indian aviation market is benefitting from Vistara's continued success and we welcome the opportunity to have supported this expansion of their A320neo fleet," Avolon's president and chief commercial officer Paul Geaney says. In November 2022, Singapore Airlines and India's Tata Sons agreed to merge their joint venture airline Vistara with Air India, owned by Tata Group. They aim to complete the Vistara-Air India merger by March 2024, subject to regulatory approvals.

An Airbus A330 operated by Saudi Arabian flag carrier Saudia and a Boeing 737 from the fleet of Ukrainian charter airline SkyUp have been damaged amid fighting in the Sudanese capital Khartoum. Saudia says the A330 was "exposed to gunfire damage" while being prepared for a scheduled departure to Riyadh (flight number SV458). All passengers and crew are now being sheltered at the Saudi embassy in Sudan, adds the airline. Fleets data lists the aircraft, a 2017-built A330-341E with registration HZ-AQ30, as "written off" and a "total loss" following the incident on 15 April. The SkyUp aircraft is listed as a 2004-built 737-800 with registration UR-SQH, owned by Air Lease Corporation. It was being operated under an ACMI contract for Sudanese carrier Sun Air Aviation, on routes to Cairo, Riyadh and Jeddah, since the start of this year. SkyUp says the emergency locator transmitter (ELT) on one of the two aircraft in its fleet currently at Khartoum airport has been activated, but "as of now, it is impossible to determine the possible damage to the aircraft". It adds that 36 SkyUp employees in the country are in "relatively safe conditions".