Bird Aviation has signed a long-term agreement with easyJet to provide scheduled aircraft maintenance services at its Larnaca facilities, expanding the companies’ existing partnership and securing maintenance work in Cyprus for at least seven years.
Seven-Year Maintenance Agreement
The agreement runs for an initial seven years, with an option to extend for a further three years, Bird Aviation said.
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Under the contract, the company will operate two maintenance lines dedicated to scheduled heavy maintenance checks for easyJet’s Airbus A320 family aircraft. All work will be carried out at Bird Aviation’s facilities in Larnaca.
Expanding An Existing Partnership
Bird Aviation said the agreement builds on its long-standing relationship with easyJet and provides a long-term framework for heavy maintenance services. The company added that the contract strengthens the role of its Larnaca base in supporting easyJet’s fleet maintenance programme.
EasyJet Reports Lower Profit
The agreement comes as easyJet faces a more challenging operating environment. The airline recently reported that pre-tax profit fell 70% to £85 million in the April-to-June quarter, compared with £286 million a year earlier, largely because of a £105 million increase in fuel costs following renewed conflict in the Middle East.
The airline also said customers are booking flights closer to departure, affecting the timing of revenue. However, booking trends have improved during the peak summer season, although easyJet said the outlook remains dependent on late-season demand and fuel prices.
Takeover Bid And Industry Challenges
EasyJet is also the subject of competing takeover bids from two U.S. investment firms. The board initially accepted a £5.5 billion offer from Castlelake before recommending Apollo Global Management’s higher £5.7 billion proposal. Any transaction could face scrutiny under European Union airline ownership rules.
Meanwhile, Ryanair also reported weaker earnings, with quarterly profit falling 34% to €538 million after higher jet fuel costs during the Iran conflict. Despite the higher costs, both airlines said demand strengthened during the summer travel season.
“Pricing has been attractive, driving strong late booking demand for our flights and holidays,” easyJet chief executive Kenton Jarvis said.
“Our recent experience is that bookings become strong in the month of departure,” he said. “So I expect that as we move through August, bookings will be above where they were at this time last year.”
