For the critical Schiphol user easyJet, finding another airport to replace the chaos-plagued Dutch airport is not an option. So CEO Johan Lundgren says he is putting a lot of pressure on the Schiphol board to counteract new capacity restrictions.
Still, the British price fighter appreciates the power of a well-functioning Schiphol too much.
“We are very disappointed with the ongoing restrictions this winter. They need to find a long-term solution because airlines and customers deserve better than this. But, unfortunately, we are now suffering damage from this. But Schiphol is one of our most important bases and a perfect one for us if there are no problems. We know they are not happy with the current situation, so we want them to return to normal operations,” Lundgren said.
EasyJet is working to recover the damage caused by forced cancelled flights at Schiphol. Lundgren says he’s taking steps but won’t say what’s happening. KLM previously announced that it would recover the damage at the airport. Discussions are underway about this.
EasyJet suffered a loss of at least 194 million euros in the past financial year, which ended at the end of last month and announced the provisional results on Thursday. This was partly because the company had to spend 86 million euros more on disruptions than in 2019. These costs were exceptionally high between April and June; in the other quarters, the losses were lower than before the corona pandemic.
Lundgren said that in addition to the holidaymaker, the business traveller also buys a plane ticket more often. However, that recovery will take a little longer, given that 75 percent of the pre-corona level was achieved in September. easyJet’s total capacity in recent months was 88 percent compared to 2019.
The CEO found predictions for the coming period difficult to make, partly because travellers book much later since the outbreak of the corona pandemic. It is also questionable to what extent high inflation affects the booking behaviour of holidaymakers. Nevertheless, according to Lundgren, it is now clear that travel is high on the list of priorities, even in times of limited income, which made him cautiously optimistic.