Not everyone considers the miserable deluge that was the British summer of 2012 to be a bad thing; it helped Jet2 holidays to achieve healthy passenger figures, as holidaymakers seized the opportunity to fly off to the sun.
The low-cost operator, which has its headquarters at Leeds Bradford Airport in the UK, almost doubled its passenger throughput for this summer season, thanks in no small part to the unseasonable washout. In the six months ending September this year, Jet2 transported 312,000 passengers, which was a 97 percent increase on the 158,000 that flew with the airline during the same period in 2011.
Jet2’s parent company, the Dart Group, has issued a trading statement ahead of its interim results on November 22, saying, ‘This significant growth has been achieved through further improvements to the Jet2holidays product range, and development of its online and high street distribution channels. Sister budget carrier Jet2.com saw carryings rise by 14 percent in the six months, to 3.6 million passengers, with increases in yields and load factors. Jet2.com has had a strong summer due to volumes underpinned by the continued successful growth of Jet2holidays and helped by the particularly poor British summer weather.
Our leisure travel operations are becoming increasingly seasonal as we continue to grow the business. This, coupled with strong summer trading, will result in the group’s profit before taxation for the first half of the year being ahead of the same period in the previous year, with increased losses expected in the second half. Notwithstanding the current economic climate, the board expects to exceed current market expectations for the year ending 31 March 2013.’
Jet2 specialises in European operations, particularly warmer getaways around the Mediterranean, with Tenerife, Costa del Sol, Algarve, Cyprus and Ibiza holidays being offered, amongst others.
