Airlines

Easyjet is in contact with Starlink for wifi but the costs are too high

The low cost company closed the quarter with a loss, investments at Milan Linate and Rome Fiumicino weighed. Stable forecasts

by Mara Monti

29 January 2026

4' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

Key points

Investments in Italy weigh on results
Olympic signs on Northern airports
Wizz Air, quarterly result at a loss
Improve the situation of aircraft on the ground

4' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

EasyJet is also interested in installing wifi on board its aircraft, but at the moment the cost is too high. The low-cost airline's CEO Kenton Jarvis said this during a call, confirming that he has been in contact with Starlink and other operators for at least two years: 'At the moment it is not economically sustainable, we are waiting for prices to come down as they have been for the last two years, then we will evaluate'.

Investments in Italy weigh on results

The ceo spoke at the presentation of Q1 2026 figures, which showed a loss before tax of £92m (-52%). 32 million more than the same period last year due to the costs of expansion at Italian airports, particularly Milan Linate and Rome Fiumicino. The operating loss for the first quarter ending December of FY2026 was £76m compared to £40m (+90%) in the first quarter of last year. 'It will take at least two to three years for our investments to mature in a very competitive market, the CEO said.

The signs of the Olympics on northern airports

Lorenzo Lagorio, easyJet's country manager for Italy, recalled that the investment in Italy is worth 50 million euros and that improvements will be seen within three years for the remedies routes, taken over after the deal between Ita Airways and Lufthansa and in conjunction with the end of wet lease contracts for Ita Airways aircraft from October 2026: "There are destinations in particular those in Germany for Frankfurt, Munich, Zurich where easyJet needs time to enter these markets dominated by national carriers. However, these are important routes on which there is interest and there are no second thoughts about the investment made" in a market that is Italy's second most important in the group.

The country manager then reported an increase in bookings to coincide with the weeks of the Olympics, particularly at the airports involved (Linate, Malpensa, Venice) for passengers from Northern Europe. New destinations have been introduced for the winter season at Milan Malpensa, such as those for Cape Verde and Luxor, which will compensate for the drop in demand during the winter months.

EasyJet Holiday supports group results

Passengers carried in the quarter totalled 22.7 million (8.5%) compared to 21.2 million in the first quarter of last year with turnover up 9% to £1.36 billion. Ancillary revenue (baggage on board, seats booked) was also up 9% to £584 million. Supporting the results was easyJet's Holiday division, which reported revenue growth of 26% to £311 million. Overall, turnover increased by 11% to £2.25 billion. Costs are rising due to inflation, but the drop in fuel costs had a positive impact on them, Nevertheless, the airline kept its forecasts for 2026 unchanged. Its shares rose 2 per cent in early trading, but are now down 0.5 per cent.

"This year, the traditionally busy January booking period has seen record levels of both volume and turnover, with a continued increase in bookings for summer 20260," calling this "a good sign for the summer".. For the first half of the year, 22 per cent of bookings were made and 47 per cent for easyJet Holiday. For the current year, capacity is expected to increase by 7 per cent and 3 per cent in terms of available seats slightly below last year.

Wizz Air, quarterly result in loss

Separately, Wizz Air reported an operating loss in the third quarter of €176.2 million (+12.2%) and a net loss of €139.3 million, down 42.2% year-on-year. The low-cost carrier reported revenues of almost €1.3 billion in the third quarter ending December, up from €1.17 billion a year earlier. The company showed stability in revenues and an improvement in the management of grounded aircraft, which currently number around 30.

Sales for the full year will remain unchanged from the previous year. "As we continue to reorganise the network, it is obvious that this will keep revenues under pressure going forward," said CEO Jozsef Varadi during a call with analysts. "We think this is a pretty good result under the circumstances." The markets seem to believe this and on the London Stock Exchange the stock rose as much as 12 per cent at the opening before falling back to just over 5 per cent.

Improve aircraft situation on the ground

Maintenance problems with Pratt & Whitney engines from 2023 have forced Wizz to ground part of its fleet consisting exclusively of Airbuses. The result for the full year ending 31 March is expected to be between a gain of EUR 25 million and a loss of EUR 25 million. The final figure will depend on fuel prices, foreign exchange costs, and the Easter holidays, the CEO said. To mitigate the impact of grounded aircraft, Wizz reduced its capacity forecast in November, saying it will grow by 10 per cent year-on-year in FY2026, compared to 20 per cent previously forecast. "In fact, the non-fuel unit cost remains unchanged, which should reinforce the perception that Wizz has regained control over costs," Bernstein analyst Alex Irving wrote in a note.