EasyJet will cut another 700,000 seats from its winter flight schedule to save on fuel as the low-cost airline steps up efforts to curb costs during the industry’s lean season.
Chief executive Kenton Jarvis said the company was scaling back capacity over the quieter months to prevent it paying higher sums for fuel, which has rocketed in price since the Iran conflict in February.
Earlier in the summer, Easyjet cut about 700,000 seats from its winter flights. Jarvis said the airline would now remove between 600,000 and 700,000 more – the equivalent of about two days’ worth of flying.
The budget carrier, one of Europe’s biggest airlines, typically offers about 50 million seats on flights over the winter season, which runs from October to end of March.
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“People are taking capacity out, we see that across all competitors,” he told the FT, adding that was “no surprise” given fuel costs. “I honestly think it’s been quite a surprise for the industry that fuel has stayed as high as it is.”
Jet fuel costs roughly doubled after the start of the Iran conflict, which led to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. Though prices have started to fall, they remain far higher than airlines expected when the conflict began, Jarvis added.
European airlines hedge some of their fuel exposure, but have been left paying higher prices for the remainder, Jarvis said. By cutting capacity, Easyjet could reduce its use of more expensive fuel, he added.
His comments come after Ryanair last week said it was cancelling some flights on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and quieter weekend services to save money over winter.
Boss Michael O’Leary said on Thursday that he expected higher fuel costs to continue for another 18 months, due to elevated prices but also lower hedging rates for the coming year. “We are all facing an enormous cost challenge next year,” he said.
Global industry group Iata has already warned that rising fuel costs will cost the sector an extra $100 billion this year. Several carriers have fallen into bankruptcy since the conflict started, including Spirit in the US and AirBaltic in Europe.
O’Leary, Jarvis and other bosses have warned that higher costs come as airlines face an additional burden from environmental rules, particularly a proposed extension of the EU’s emissions trading system and a rise in the need for airlines to buy more expensive “sustainable aviation fuel”.
“There’s real pain for passengers next year because of higher oil prices and, at the same time, Europe is extending ETS [the Emissions Trading System],” O’Leary said.
Ourania Georgoutsakou, who leads lobby group Airlines for Europe, said: “Let’s be honest, that’s not a sustainable situation if the cost of fuel continues to remain at these levels and looking ahead at all the business and regulatory costs that Europe is placing on European airlines.”
The European Commission has said that the extension of the system is required because international agreements have failed to deliver effective means of reducing emissions. – Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2026
