Easyjet blames French strikes and bad weather for flight cancellations in May
Budget airline Easyjet said French strikes and poor weather conditions were the main factors behind flight cancellations in May.
The company reported a 5.7 per cent increase in earned seats flown – this is the number of seats that were flown during the month, regardless of whether or not the passenger turns up. Easyjet flew 6.9m earned seats in May this year, compared with 6.5m in May 2015.
However, load factor – the number of passengers as a proportion of the number of seats available for passengers – dropped slightly, from 91.6 per cent last year to 91.5 per cent.
The company cancelled 173 flights last month, and said French air traffic control strikes and weather conditions accounted for most of those. It also noted that "the month also saw the Egypt Air tragedy".
In March, strikes in France were the leading factor in forcing Easyjet to cancel 611 flights.
And more travel disruption is on the horizon, with Air France pilots planning a strike for 11-14 June, coinciding with the beginning of the Euro 2016 football championship.