British Easyjet airline orders 36 Airbus A320 jets at $3.8bn

Britain’s Easyjet airline has placed an order worth $3.8 billion (3.5 billion euros) to buy 36 Airbus A320 jets at catalogue prices.

A report published on Tuesday, said the airline made the order after posting record annual profits as a result of surging demand.

Releasing its results statement, Easyjet said it is going to buy 30 next-generation fuel-efficient A320neo aircraft, converting options that had been announced back in 2013, while placing another six firm orders for current-generation A320s, AFP reported.

The 36 popular single-aisle Airbus planes, which have 186 seats each, are expected to be delivered to the British airline between 2018 and 2021.

Easyjet, which is based in Luton north of London, added in its statement that it is going to take more options for 30 A320neo aircraft, taking its total number of options to 100.

"Due to our continued robust trading, high demand for Easyjet flights and the number of profitable opportunities we see in our markets, we are pleased to have secured an agreement with Airbus to take delivery of an additional 36 A320 aircraft," the airline said in the statement.

"These aircraft will offer increased flexibility in fleet planning, including the faster replacement of some of our A319 aircraft, lower overall unit costs and ensure Easyjet can continue to grow past 2019 to support increasing total shareholder returns," it added.

Easyjet's Airbus order has come after the company posted record annual profit with pre-tax profit leaping 18 percent to a record £686 million.

Pre-tax earnings, which rose for the fifth year in a row, were in the middle of the group's forecast range.

"Our outlook for the longer term is positive," said chief executive Carolyn McCall, who added, "We expect demand in our markets to be sustained and for Easyjet to continue to be a winner in its markets."

She also noted, "We continue to invest in profitable growth, ensuring our digital advantage and giving our customer good value fares."

In the meantime, the company’s net profits jumped 22 percent to hit £548 million in the year to the end of September, compared with same period last year.

The airline also reported that the number of passengers has risen six percent to stand at 68.6 million people, while revenues swelled 3.5 percent to £4.686 billion.

"Our markets are strong, with favourable economic and consumer trends," the airline said in the statement, adding, "Our core leisure customer is part of a market that is growing strongly every year as people take more holidays and city breaks, complemented by a business travel market that prizes both flexibility and value."

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