Summer holiday bookings bounce back amid fragile Middle East ceasefire, Jet2 says | Travel & leisure

Package holiday operator Jet2 said summer holiday bookings had recently rebounded following the fragile ceasefire in the Middle East.

The company, which flies about 20 million people each year, said summer bookings were up 7.1% compared to this time last year, and average occupancy, which measures current seating capacity filled with paying passengers, was also up 1.2 percentage points.

“There’s still a lot of people who want to go,” chief executive Steve Heapy said. “But they delayed the purchase because they wanted to see what happened to the dispute.

“The market is in good shape right now and consumers are desperate to get away and maybe sleep in an air-conditioned room.”

The travel industry has said many holidaymakers are delaying travel bookings this summer due to fears about high jet fuel bills and disruption triggered by war in the Middle East.

However, all of Jet2’s destinations have experienced a strong recovery in recent weeks, the company said. Shares in London-listed Jet2 rose nearly 10% in early trading on Wednesday following the comments, despite signs of renewed tensions in the Middle East.

“Türkiye, Cyprus, the eastern Greek islands, Bulgaria and parts of North Africa showed the biggest recovery in percentage terms, but all destinations increased,” Heapy said.

The new EU border control system has also caused hours-long delays at major airports in continental Europe; Airlines say some flights are only half full.

Heapy said it was “wise to arrive a little earlier than normal” and that some Jet2 passengers had experienced longer queues at immigration and passport control. But he said no Jet2 flights took off leaving passengers behind.

This week the EU rejected calls from airports and airlines to suspend the implementation of new fingerprint and facial recognition border checks, although it acknowledged there were “20 hotspots” of queuing chaos.

Just a week before the start of the busy summer holiday season, EU officials said the system was “not perfect” but would tell travel industry representatives that a complete suspension was “not necessary” and “not possible”.

Holiday parks and hotels in the UK have also reported an increase in summer bookings, as many UK holidaymakers choose to stay closer to home.

Research from UK travel industry body Abta found that 84% of those planning a holiday abroad are opting for a short-haul trip this summer, with 30% of people saying they will only book two to four weeks before their trip.