British airline EasyJet has presented a highly positive result for the third quarter of its 2025 financial year. Adjusted profit before tax amounted to £286 million, an improvement of £50 million over the same period last year and in line with the company's expectations.
This success is largely due to continued strong demand for EasyJet's connections to Europe's major airports, as well as favorable effects from the timing of the Easter travel period. Despite external challenges such as increased fuel costs and repeated strikes at French air traffic control, EasyJet remains optimistic about the full 2025 financial year and expects significant profit growth, driven in particular by the dynamic growth of its EasyJet Holidays travel business.
Solid quarterly results: growth in capacity and revenue
EasyJet's third quarter of fiscal year 2025 was characterized by the consistent implementation of its growth strategy, which is reflected in the reported figures. The company's available seat kilometer (ASK) capacity increased by 7,9 percent year-on-year. This was achieved through a 5,8 percent increase in average route length and a 2,0 percent increase in seats year-on-year. This capacity expansion demonstrates EasyJet's commitment to consolidating its market position and offering its services to more passengers.
Revenue per seat kilometer (RASK) increased by 0,5 percent year-on-year. April particularly benefited from the timing of the Easter travel period, as Easter business fell more favorably into the quarter this year. At the same time, total cost per seat kilometer (CASK, adjusted) decreased by 0,5 percent year-on-year. This decline was driven by a significant 7,3 percent decrease in fuel CASK, which more than offset the impact of a 2,3 percent increase in CASK excluding fuel. Passenger numbers rose by 2 percent, and load factor improved by 0,2 percentage points, highlighting the efficiency of operations.
One particularly noteworthy segment is Easyjet Holidays , which achieved a pre-tax profit of £86 million in the reporting quarter. This represents an increase of £13 million compared to the previous year and underlines the successful diversification of Easyjet's business model. The package holiday business is developing into a key pillar of the company.
Positive outlook for the entire 2025 financial year: strategic planning in the foreground
EasyJet's management is optimistic about the entire 2025 financial year. The company expects ASK growth of around 9 percent year-on-year. However, less strong growth is forecast for the second half of the year (+7 percent) compared to the first half (+12 percent). This staggered capacity planning allows EasyJet to react flexibly to market developments and optimize flight occupancy.
Advance bookings for the fourth quarter are showing promising signs: 67 percent of capacity for the fourth quarter is currently sold, representing a 1 percentage point increase year-on-year, even after a record-breaking summer last year. These figures reflect continued strong demand, although the trend of customers booking later persists. This requires agile pricing and capacity management from the airline, as the final financial year result will, as usual, depend heavily on late summer bookings and the associated revenue.
For the fourth quarter, the RASK trend from the third quarter is expected to continue, adjusted for the beneficial Easter effect year-on-year. Current revenue trends also reflect strategic investments in key markets such as Milan-Linate and Rome-Fiumicino , where EasyJet is expanding its presence. A 5 percent increase in average route length across the network indicates a shift towards more profitable routes. However, short-term impacts on some destinations due to the recent escalations in the Middle East cannot be ruled out.
Cost control and external challenges: A balancing act
Despite positive business performance, EasyJet faces external challenges that could impact its financial results. Total adjusted CASK for the 2025 financial year is expected to decline by a low single-digit percentage, while CASK excluding fuel is projected to remain largely stable year-on-year. This reflects the company's rigorous cost management.
However, higher fuel costs and repeated strikes by French air traffic control in July had a significant financial impact of around £25 million (fuel approximately £10 million, French air traffic control approximately £15 million). Kenton Jarvis , CEO of EasyJet, commented critically on the impact of the strikes: “We view the French air traffic control strikes at the beginning of July very critically, as they not only created significant challenges for our passengers and crews, but also resulted in unexpected and noticeable additional costs for all airlines.” Such unforeseen events put a strain on the entire industry and require proactive measures to improve operational resilience.
A slight increase in ex-fuel CASK is expected in the second half of 2025, reflecting lower capacity growth compared to the first half of the year and the ongoing strain from the air traffic control situation. Nevertheless, easyJet's proactive resilience measures, which resulted in significantly improved daily operational performance in the June quarter, improved its punctuality rate and customer satisfaction by 4 percentage points each. These internal improvements are critical to mitigate external disruptions and maintain service quality. Fuel CASK in the second half of 2025 is expected to decrease by approximately 7 percent year-on-year based on current fuel price trends.
Easyjet Holidays on the road to success: Ambitious goals for the future
Easyjet Holidays remains a shining example of the success of Easyjet's diversification strategy. The travel package business continues to perform strongly, increasing profit before tax (PBT) to £86 million in the third quarter, up £13 million year-on-year. PBT is expected to exceed £2025 million for the full 235 financial year, underscoring the strategic importance of this business area to the company.
Based on this robust performance, Easyjet will define a new medium-term target for Easyjet holidays later this year, indicating further ambitious expansion plans in this segment. The package holiday business benefits from direct integration with Easyjet's flight network, offering customers a convenient way to combine flights and accommodation, thereby increasing customer satisfaction and brand loyalty.
Looking ahead to the first quarter of 2026, capacity on sale has increased by approximately 5 percent, with 19 percent of the program currently sold, representing a 1 percentage point increase over the previous year. Easyjet holidays continues to experience strong growth for the coming winter and is already 2026 percent booked for the first quarter of 50. These figures are a strong indicator of the continued popularity and customer confidence in Easyjet holidays' offering.
Kenton Jarvis reiterated the company's positive overall sentiment: "We delivered strong results last quarter, with increased profits and improved operating performance, which also had a positive impact on customer satisfaction. Demand from our customers remains strong." He concluded with the outlook: "Easyjet Holidays remains on track to deliver a full-year profit of over £235 million. We are positive about the 2025 financial year and beyond, as we continue to work diligently towards achieving our medium-term targets."
EasyJet delivered a successful third quarter, driven by strong demand and optimized operational performance, reflected in improved punctuality rates and higher customer satisfaction. The ability to control costs while investing in strategic markets demonstrates prudent management. Despite ongoing challenges from rising fuel prices and external factors such as the French air traffic control strikes, which are having a significant financial impact, the outlook for the full 2025 financial year remains positive. In particular, the dynamic growth of EasyJet Holidays and strategic capacity planning make management optimistic about future development and the achievement of medium-term targets.