Jet2.com: low cost airline plans summer 2021 capacity near 2019 levels

Dart Group plc, owner of the UK low cost airline Jet2.com, is renaming itself 'Jet2 plc'. It sold its distribution/logistics division earlier this year to focus on leisure travel, which accounted for 95% of revenue last year. Jet2.com stands out from other European LCCs in that more than half of its passengers come via the in-house package holiday company, Jet2holidays.

Jet2.com grounded its entire fleet for longer than most competitors at the onset of the COVID-19 crisis, only resuming operations in mid Jul-2020.

Its capacity build-up was then a little slower than the European market in Aug-2020 and certainly more cautious than that of other LCCs, probably helping to support load factors. However, its seat count as a percentage of last year's is set to move ahead of the market in Sep-2020.

Jet2.com's winter 2020/2021 bookings are soft, but better for the much more important summer 2021, when it is planning capacity close to 2019 levels.

This contrasts with a broad consensus that world aviation will not return to 2019 levels before 2023 or 2024. Jet2.com is trusting UK consumers' appetite for summer sun, sand and sea.