EasyJet forecasts record profits after bumper summer

British low-cost airline EasyJet on Thursday raised its forecast for pre-tax annual profits to a record high of up to £700 million (952 million euros, $1.1 billion) thanks to high summer traffic.

The company said it expected profits in a range of £675 million to £700 million for its accounting year between October 1 and September 30.

That was up from its previous forecast of £620 million to £660 million, helped along by a surge in Britons taking last-minute holidays during a particularly rainy month of August.

EasyJet said passenger numbers in August reached a record 7.06 million, following a July in which passenger numbers were also above 7 million.

It said its strong revenues were offset by the impact of two fires at Rome Fiumicino airport this year and a strike by air traffic controllers in France.

"These figures demonstrate the strength of EasyJet," the airline's chief executive Carolyn McCall said in a statement, emphasising its "strong customer focus" and "industry-leading digital innovations".