EasyJet summer holiday bookings down on last year amid Iran war uncertainty

Key points

• The budget airline easyJet has said its summer holiday bookings are lagging behind last year as the Iran war weights on consumer confidence and has left passengers waiting later to book trips.
• The carrier said it had to spend an unexpected extra £25m on jet fuel in March after the start of the US and Israel’s war on Iran.
• However, easyJet said it was not experiencing any disruption to fuel supplies, adding that it had its usual visibility of supplies over a rolling four-week period.
• It does not expect to cancel any further flights this summer despite the warning in April by Ryanair’s Michael O’Leary that the UK was the most vulnerable country in Europe to potential jet fuel shortages should the strait of Hormuz remain closed.
• The airline said that customers should “book with confidence” amid signs that worries over fuel shortages and resulting flight cancellations were discouraging travellers,...