easyJet sees short-term Omicron hit before summer recovery

British airline easyJet said the Omicron variant of COVID-19 was impacting its performance this quarter, but it expected to see strong demand this summer when its capacity will be near pre-pandemic levels.

The company said on Thursday it flew 64% of pre-pandemic capacity in its first quarter to end-December, but its 77% load factor missed its forecast of over 80% after Omicron dented customer demand in December.