Flights are made at a loss

UK-based low-cost airline EasyJet announced that it is on track to meet its year-end targets despite reporting a loss of £394 million in the first half of the financial year spanning October 1, 2024 – March 31, 2025.

The UK-based company said investments in capacity in the first half of the year had led to improved crew productivity and aircraft utilisation, but led to a 6% drop in revenue per seat (ASK basis) compared with the same period last year. Despite the loss, the company said first-half results were £50m better than last year.

Passenger revenue increased by 5% year-on-year to £2.2 billion in the period. Total group revenue, including easyJet’s non-airline services and easyJet Holidays, increased by 8% year-on-year to £3.5 billion.

EasyJet CEO Kenton Jarvis said they maintained positive expectations for the rest of the year, with 77% of bookings for the second half of the year already complete.

Jarvis said it expects strong earnings growth this summer and remains on track for an annual pre-tax profit target of over £1bn.

In response to deteriorating air traffic control (ATC) performance last year, the company said it had implemented measures to improve resilience across its network, with on-time rates increasing by two percentage points in April compared to last year.

EasyJet also announced plans to establish a new three-aircraft base at Newcastle Airport in March 2026. This will be the company’s 11th base in the UK and will help expand the network and support connections outside London.

The development comes after the airline recently opened new bases in Southend, Milan Linate and Rome Fiumicino, each with three A320neo aircraft.

In January, EasyJet also launched a corporate version of its Plus membership programme, which allows companies to purchase and manage multiple memberships on behalf of their employees.

Anex Tour started carrying passengers from Russia to Japan.

Russia-based tour operator Anex Tour has announced that it has opened a new destination in Japan. The company has started taking reservations for tours departing from Moscow and St. Petersburg. The programs will be organized on scheduled flights and those who wish will be able to purchase ground services only.

According to the news in Tourprom, the tours will start in Tokyo. The programs are usually offered in combination with a seaside holiday. The prominent routes include cultural tours such as “Tokyo: Yesterday and Today,” “Classical Japan” and “Japan from East to West,” as well as thematic options such as “Grand Tour: Sea and Hot Springs” and “Pearls of the Sea of ​​Japan.” Although price information has not yet been announced, it was stated that the tours will start in June.

The company said in a statement that Japan's historical and cultural structure is attractive to tourists and that demand for Asian destinations is increasing. Authorities also reminded that Russian citizens must obtain a visa to travel to Japan, and that the visa process takes approximately 10 business days.

The increasing interest in Japan is also reflected in the statistics. According to the Japanese National Tourism Office, 99,300 Russian citizens visited Japan in 2024, a 136 percent increase compared to the previous year. With this increase, Russia became the second fastest growing country after China.

The most preferred route among Russian tourists is the Tokyo-Kyoto-Osaka route. Seasonal themed tours such as sakura (cherry blossom) and autumn leaves are also popular.