Despite generating a 15% increase in passenger numbers, easyJet has suffered a six-month loss of £57.5 million.

Budget airline easyJet has suffered a six-month loss of £57.5 million, citing the soaring price of jet fuel which has risen 80% in the last year.

The figure, which includes £9.1m of costs from its acquisition of GB Airways, is more than treble the £17.1m loss the airline made the previous year.

The decline comes despite the fact that easyJet generated a 15% increase in passenger numbers to 18.9m, and a 24% boost in revenues to £892.2m, for the period ending 31 March 2008.

Looking forward, the company described oil as its “biggest challenge and uncertainty”. The price of jet fuel has risen 35% in the last three months and 80% in the last year, amounting to £2.18 per seat.

In spite of the profit loss, easyJet Chief Executive, Andy Harrison, remains confident about easyJet’s future. He said: “easyJet continues to grow in size and strength. GB Airways was smoothly integrated and is delivering larger than expected benefits and has made us number one at Gatwick.

“We are continuing to grow rapidly in mainland Europe, especially in Italy and France where we have opened new bases during the first half of the year. easyJet now operates Europe’s number one air transport network with 280 million Europeans living within an hour’s drive of an easyJet flight.

“These moves also helped to drive the 15% increase in the number of passengers carried. Our load factors remain robust and our forward bookings are slightly ahead of this time last year.”

By Natasha Piscitelli