UK airline EasyJet dives into historic loss on virus

LONDON: EasyJet on Tuesday posted the first annual pre-tax loss in its 25-year history, prompting it to seek more government help as the coronavirus pandemic hammers air travel. The British no-frills carrier suffered a pre-tax loss of £1.27 billion ($1.7 billion) in its reporting year to September. That contrasted with a year-earlier profit of £430 million. Passenger numbers halved to 48.1 million as Covid-19 travel restrictions slammed demand. Revenue slumped by a similar proportion to stand at £3.0 billion, it said. — AFP