A new-look easyJet holidays will be launched in the UK before Christmas to offer beach and city holidays, travelling across the budget airline’s network.
Flexibility will play a “key part” in the new offering, allowing customers to choose from a large range flights options paired with hotels across Europe.
EasyJet Holidays is expected to be “at least breakeven” for the financial year to September 30, 2020.
More: Interview: EasyJet Holidays ‘on track to launch in time for peaks’
EasyJet Holidays to launch to trade ‘next year’
EasyJet Holidays appoints more former Tui staff to bolster digital team
Chief executive Johan Lundgren, a former senior executive at Tui, said: “I am really thrilled that with the launch, before Christmas, of our brand new easyJet Holidays business we are bringing flexibility and excellent value to the holiday market.
“We are now able to offer our customers more than 100 amazing beach and city holiday destinations, pairing Europe’s best short-haul flight network with more than 5,000 of Europe’s best hotels.
“We believe there is a gap in the market for a modern, relevant and flexible business for today’s consumer.”
Confirmation of the move to fill the void left by the collapse of Thomas Cook came today as the airline reported a 26% drop in annual pre-tax profits to £427 million in what was described as a “difficult year”.
The financial downturn came despite an 8.9% rise in passenger carryings to 96.1 million.
Total revenue per seat declined by 1.8% to £60.81, driven by “some weakness in consumer confidence, notably offset by the self-help initiatives delivered in the second half of the financial year and the positive impact from strikes at British Airways and Ryanair,” easyJet said.
Forward bookings for the winter period are “slightly ahead” of the same time last year.
The carrier also revealed plans to make all flights net zero carbon from today in a move expected to cost £25 million in the year to September 2020.
The airline stressed that it has been operating “in a state of full preparedness for all possible Brexit outcomes” since March.
Reflecting on the annual financial results for the year to September 30, Lundgren said: “EasyJet finished the 2019 financial year with a strong performance across the business and a record summer.
“More customers than ever are coming to easyJet as their airline of choice, with a record 96.1 million customers flying with us this year.
“Our self-help initiatives meant we have been able reduce costs and drive a better yield performance which has improved revenue per seat in the second half of the year.
“I am proud that we have announced that from today we will be the world’s first major airline to operate net-zero carbon flights across our whole network.
“We are doing this by offsetting the carbon emissions from the fuel used for all of our flights. We recognise that offsetting is only an interim measure, but we want to take action on our carbon emissions now.
“However, our priority is to continue to work on reducing our carbon footprint in the short term, coupled with long-term work to support the development of new technology, including electric planes, to reinvent aviation for the long-term.”
More: Interview: EasyJet Holidays ‘on track to launch in time for peaks’
EasyJet Holidays to launch to trade ‘next year’
EasyJet Holidays appoints more former Tui staff to bolster digital team