EasyJet, Europe's second-biggest discount airline, kept a bullish outlook today despite reporting an interim loss of £7 million sterling in its first results since flotation last November.
The airline, chaired by high-profile entrepreneur Mr Stelios Haji-Ioannou, said unseasonably cold weather in Europe last December - which disrupted its British flights - was a factor behind the loss for the six months ending March 31st - higher than the year-ago loss of £2.3 million.
But the airline said passenger numbers rose 31 per cent to 3.2 million, helping lift revenues 43 per cent to £142.8 million, and said the second half had started well.
Similar discount airlines such as Ryanair have posted rising passenger numbers and profits in the last month, but traditional, long-haul carriers such as British Airways have seen revenues fall in the downbeat economic climate.