Jet2 says summer bookings are up 8.8% and it is on track for a stronger winter

The company, which says it is the UK’s biggest package holiday provider and the third-largest airline, updated investors on its summer trading and announced plans to move to the London Stock Exchange main market

Jet2 has reported that summer bookings are running ahead of last year and that it is on course for a stronger winter season, as the holiday firm also unveiled plans to move its listing to the main market of the London Stock Exchange.

The Leeds-based company, which claims to be the UK’s biggest package holiday provider and the third-largest airline, updated investors on its summer trading performance. The number of passengers booked for summer 2026 travel so far is up 8.8% compared with the same period last year, according to Jet2.

This growth spans both its package holidays and flight-only deals. Jet2 said its load factor – a key metric for airlines indicating the average proportion of seats filled on its flights – was 1.5 percentage points ahead of last summer.

The firm also revealed that seat capacity for winter 2026-27 currently stands 8% higher than the previous year, at 5.9m seats, following an expansion at London Gatwick airport.

Jet2 noted that a recent trend of passengers booking trips closer to their departure date was continuing, having become particularly prominent over the summer in the wake of volatility triggered by the war in Iran. Travel disruption caused by the conflict, along with jet fuel supply shortages pushing up costs for airlines, has contributed to growing uncertainty amongst holidaymakers.

However, Jet2 said it had been largely able to hedge against higher jet fuel costs for the financial year, providing “cost certainty”. Steve Heapy, Jet2’s chief executive, said he had been “encouraged by the sustained level of demand for both our holiday products through the peak summer season which gives us confidence for the remainder of the financial year”.

In a further significant development, Jet2 revealed its plans to transfer its stock market listing from AIM (Alternative Investment Market) to the main market of the London Stock Exchange. The move represents a graduation from London’s growth market, opening the door to a far broader pool of UK and international institutional investors.

Mr Heapy said the decision reflected “the scale of the business we have built, our proven track record of delivery and the opportunities that lie ahead”.

Adam Vettese, a market analyst at Etoro, described the listing move as an “important signal”.

“Jet2 has outgrown AIM in everything except the ticker,” he said. “A main market listing is management saying the next chapter is about scale, liquidity and a wider institutional following, with FTSE 250 membership the obvious prize.”