A boost in 2022 bookings has brought renewed optimism for Brittany Ferries after navigating a path through two disastrous summer seasons as the pandemic decimated passenger numbers.
Latest booking data shows 188,878 passengers had booked travel by the end of October for the July to September 2022 period.
That represents a 48% rise on the 127,517 who had booked for the 2020 summer season at the end of October 2019 – the last pre-Covid comparison year.
UK-France reservations were up 40%, UK-Spain up 35% and France-Ireland up 234%.
In total, the last two summer seasons combined drew in fewer than half of the passenger volumes of a pre-Covid summer season.
The French company has secured a grant of €45 million by Paris to compensate for passenger travel restrictions that caused the company’s turnover to plummet by €220 million in 2020 alone.
Alongside the grant, the French state also announced a €10 million waiver for debt and €6 million aid from the Brittany region.
Brittany Ferries also welcomed the extension of so-called “net wage” provisions for French sailors – a tax break extended for three years.
Chief executive Christophe Mathieu said: “The storm clouds are beginning to lift and I welcome the boost in reservations for next year.
“We are so grateful to our loyal customers and, of course, to the French state for acknowledging our plight.
“The support of French government combined with the loyalty of our British and Irish customers will allow us to continue the beautiful voyage of this company.”
He added: “Amid a renewed sense of optimism, I must also add a note of caution.
“We still have much work to do in the years ahead. For example, we must not forget the €117 million loan granted last year, which we have repay.
“Nor must we change path on our internal project to maximise efficiencies. Called Vital, this has been embraced by our hard-working seafarers. To them I would like to reiterate the words of our president Jean-Marc Roué: we are absolutely committed to your future – and there will be no job losses as a consequence of this essential plan.”
New ferry Salamanca will be the first vessel in the fleet to be powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG) running services connecting the UK with Spain in 2022.
It will join sister ship Galicia which joined the fleet in December last year.