Competition warning as EasyJet profits soar

Low-cost British airline easyJet today unveiled a 21% improvement in annual profits but warned it expected competition to remain intense this winter.

The Luton-based operator posted a pre-tax figure of £62.2m (€88.7m) for the year to September 30, a performance helped by a 20% gain in passenger numbers to 24.3 million as well as the presence of fewer exceptional items than in 2003.