‘We are not looking at a summer like last year’ says easyJet CEO

Lundgren said progress had been made since 2020, which means he is now optimistic. Speaking at World Aviation Festival Virtual, he said: “We are not at all looking at a summer like last year.”

Lundgren added that the vaccine rollout in the UK and across other countries in Europe and the across the world would help to facilitate travel.  He said governments and the industry now had data and statistics ‘that were not there before’, which would flag up areas of concern and give the industry early warning of possible border closures.

“The UK is looking at producing a watch list to see where countries are headed so we don’t get a surprise,” he added. “That’s down to the stats and facts that are there, so there’s no evidence we are heading for a summer like last.”

High hopes for a strong summer

He predicted UK travellers would have access to most of Europe this summer. “I have high hopes for a strong summer. I can’t see right now, with the developments taking place as we speak, with the rollout of the vaccine, that there should be really any large number of countries not being in the green category.”

Lundgren said he was ‘suspicious’ of digital passport. However, he added: “We are not against it as such if it is there to exempt you from other restrictions.”

EasyJet was prepared even if this summer turned out to be difficult, he said, with £5.5 billion having been raised, £2.9 billion of which was readily available. Costs had also been cut and aircraft deliveries postponed.