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EasyJet cuts another 700,000 seats from winter flights
Higher fuel prices put pressure on operating costs
EasyJet is cutting up to 700,000 additional seats from its winter flight schedule, bringing its total planned reduction for the 2026-2027 season to as many as 1.4 million.
The low-cost airline is scaling back capacity to limit fuel costs, which have risen sharply since the start of the conflict between the US and Iran.
The latest cuts follow an earlier reduction of around 700,000 seats announced during the summer. Together, they represent around 3% of easyJet’s usual winter capacity of 50 million seats.
The winter season runs from October to the end of March.
Which flights are affected?
EasyJet has not published a list of the routes or individual services affected by the latest reductions.
Chief executive Kenton Jarvis told the Financial Times that the airline was removing between 600,000 and 700,000 seats from its winter programme, equivalent to around two days of flying across its network.
The reduction in planned capacity does not mean that all the seats removed were already booked by passengers.
EasyJet has previously said it generally makes schedule changes in advance and favours routes with several daily departures, allowing passengers to transfer to alternative flights where possible.
Passengers with existing bookings should check their flight status and any notifications from the airline.
The Connexion has contacted easyJet for details on the planned cuts.
Why is easyJet cutting flights?
The airline is seeking to reduce its exposure to high jet fuel prices during the quieter winter months.
Although fuel prices have begun to ease, they remain considerably higher than expected before the conflict began. Airlines typically hedge some of their fuel purchases in advance, but remain exposed to market prices for the portion not covered by these arrangements.
Mr Jarvis told the Financial Times: “Airlines are reducing capacity; we see that across all competitors.”
The cuts come as other European airlines also reduce capacity in response to rising operating costs.
Ryanair has also announced cuts to some midweek and quieter weekend services, while Wizz Air has also cut planned growth in capacity.
