Costs up as Easyjet brings in extra planes

Budget airline easyJet said today it had been forced to draft in extra aircraft to fill in the gaps in its summer schedule.

New chief executive Carolyn McCall said the temporary action to resolve “crewing issues in some parts of our network” would lift costs by up to 3% during the current financial year.

The airline is bringing in at least three extra planes and crew during the summer to minimise the impact on customers and staff, although some passengers could find flights rescheduled.

The firm, which had a worse punctuality record than Air Zimbabwe at Gatwick in June, has also been hit by Iceland’s volcanic ash cloud and air traffic control strikes in France.

Almost two-thirds of easyJet’s planes travel through French airspace but controllers have been prioritising long-haul flights and aircraft taking off and landing in France.