INVESTORS will be hoping that Easyjet reveals stronger sales from the critical summer season as it is set to post steep losses from the year.

The budget airline is expected to post pre-tax losses of about £177m when it reveals its full-year trading statement this Thursday, according to market consensus.

However, earnings from the latest quarter are set to boost the company with analysts at Goodbody predicting a £474m profit during the period.

Goodbody also said it is expecting greater losses than the market consensus, by about £40m, because it has taken into account the recent drop in value of the pound and the impact on fuel costs.

Holidaymakers endured flight cancellations over the summer with airports such as Heathrow and Gatwick facing severe staff shortages that left them struggling to cope with the sudden ramping up of travel demand.

However, Easyjet recently said its operations have normalised since July and on-the-day flight cancellations are lower than pre-pandemic levels.

It flew around 16m passengers in July and August which should help boost earnings during the last three months.

Investors could be looking for any impacts on Easyjet of the cost-of-living squeeze on consumers, analysts said.

"With consumer confidence on the wane, people will be looking for evidence as to whether forward bookings are starting to suffer and whether people are starting to pull back on extras such as food, luggage allowances and additional leg room," Derren Nathan, an equity analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown, said.

On the other hand, Easyjet says that in tough times customers might trade down to its cheaper flights.

Investors will also be keeping an eye out for evidence that rising fuel costs have impacted the group.

It previously assured shareholders that it had hedged around 60 per cent of its fuel for the first half of the 2023 financial year. But the weakening pound against a stronger dollar could have impacted Easyjet in recent weeks as airlines pay for a large proportion of their costs, including fuel, in dollars.

Shares in the company have fallen by around 55 per cent since the start of the year and its current price is at a more than five-year low.

PA

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