easyJet Upbeat After Late-Summer Demand

easyJet has raised its full-year profit outlook after record demand for beach and city breaks showed the British low-cost airline was more than meeting a challenge from Ryanair.

easyJet said it was optimistic about its performance, forecasting full-year profit growth of up to 21 percent for the year to end September, compared with a previous forecast of up to 14 percent.

The company said it had benefited from a desire for a late August get away by Britons unimpressed with cool weather at home and encouraged by a strong currency. The pound reached a 7-1/2 year high against the euro in July.

The demand helped the group to bounce back from a tricky period earlier in the year when it was hit by air traffic control strikes in April and fires at Rome's Fiumicino airport.

easyJet carried 7.06 million passengers in the month, the second month in a row it had flown more than 7 million passengers. The load factor was another record at 94.4 percent.

Chief executive Carolyn McCall said this showed the strength of the airline, with digital innovations complimenting its strong route network.

"This platform meant that easyJet was best placed to maximise the strong late summer demand from UK passengers to get away to beach and city destinations across Europe and will enable the airline to set new records for full year revenue and profit," she said.

easyJet said it now expected full-year profit before tax to be in a range of GBP£675 million (USD$1 billion) to GBP£700 million for the year to the end of September, compared with previous guidance of GBP£620 million to GBP£660 million.

The group recorded a profit of GBP£581 million in its 2014 full year.