LONDON, July 26 ― British low-cost airline easyJet said cancellations and delays caused by staff shortages at airports and in the air had cost it £133 million (RM592 million) in the three months to end June, but it added that operations had improved in July.

"We have taken action to build the additional resilience needed this summer and the operation has now normalised,” Chief Executive Johan Lundgren said, after the group reported a headline loss before tax of £114 million for the quarter.

An "unprecedented ramp up” in aviation, coupled with a tight labour market, had resulted in operational challenges culminating in higher levels of cancellations than normal, it said.

EasyJet cut its summer schedule last month, in part to comply with caps imposed by London Gatwick and Amsterdam Schiphol airports, to stabilise its operations and minimise passenger disruption.

Despite the problems, it said it had operated 95 per cent of its planned schedule in the quarter and had flown 22 million passengers.

It said July, August and September was currently 71 per cent booked, with a load factor slightly ahead of 2019 and sold ticket yield 13 per cent above pre-pandemic levels. ― Reuters