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EasyJet Airbus already in service

Photo: Nicholas.T.Ansell / dpa

The British low-cost airline Easyjet wants to buy a large number of new aircraft from the world's largest aircraft manufacturer Airbus despite a moderate summer business. In addition to the order for 157 aircraft, the Ryanair competitor secured 100 options to buy more planes, as it announced on Thursday in Luton near London. "This will allow Easyjet to modernise its fleet and continue to grow beyond 2028," said Easyjet CEO Johan Lundgren, according to the statement.

Easyjet is relying on Airbus at a time when competitors are struggling with Boeing aircraft. It was only at the end of September that Ryanair announced that it had to cancel its winter flight schedule due to problems with Boeing engines. There was a lack of new aircraft, which is why flights have to be cancelled from the end of October. In addition to Dublin, Porto and Brussels-Charleroi airports, Cologne/Bonn Airport is also affected.

Based on preliminary figures, the three summer months up to the end of September did not go quite as hoped for Easyjet. In the fourth fiscal quarter, the low-cost airline slightly missed analysts' expectations in terms of revenue and load factor. For the full year (to the end of September), Easyjet expects adjusted pre-tax profit of 440 to 460 million British pounds (510 to 533 million euros) – this figure is also slightly below the average projections of industry experts.

Airbus on target, Boeing with problems

Airbus, on the other hand, was able to increase the number of deliveries slightly in September. Last month, 55 commercial jets were handed over to customers. As of the end of September, the Dax-listed group has delivered 488 machines. For the year as a whole, CEO Guillaume Faury is aiming for 720 units. In addition, Airbus received orders for 23 new aircraft in September, a fraction of the figure in August, when 117 aircraft were ordered.

Competitor Boeing, on the other hand, is struggling. Deliveries of commercial aircraft continue to progress slowly. In September, the Group handed over 27 machines to its customers. The number has been declining since June. Above all, the production defects on its 737 Max series are slowing down Boeing.

beb/dpa