Ferry firm buoyed by surge in reservations

BRITTANY Ferries has reported a surge in reservations for travel in the summer of 2022 as it bounces back from two “disastrous summer” seasons when Covid-19 consigned passenger numbers to the doldrums.

But the boost for summer 2022 has brought renewed optimism for the cross-Channel operator, which has its UK headquarters in Plymouth. By the end of October 2021, 188,878 passengers had booked travel for the period July to September 2022 – 48% more than the 127,517 who booked for the 2020 summer season – at the end of October 2019, the last pre-Covid comparison year.

UK-France reservations were up 40%. On UK-Spain routes reservations rose by 35% while France-Ireland soared 234%.

It follows welcome assistance to the firm from the French state. A grant of 45m euros was recently authorised by Paris to compensate for passenger travel restrictions that caused Brittany Ferries’ turnover to plummet by 220m euros in 2020 alone. The French state also announced a 10m euro waiver for debt contracted with ADEME, the French state institution that helps companies transition to more environmentally friendly practices, and 6m euro aid from the Brittany Region.

Brittany Ferries has also welcomed the extension of so-called “net wage” provisions for French sailors, a tax break extended for three years.

“The storm clouds are beginning to lift and I welcome the boost in reservations for next year,” said Christophe Mathieu, chief executive of Brittany Ferries. “We still have much work to do in the years ahead .... we must not forget the 117m euro loan granted last year, which we have to repay.

“Nor must we change path on our internal project to maximise efficiencies.” He added, in a note to “our hard-working seafarers” that “we are absolutely committed to your future – and there will be no job losses as a consequence of this essential plan.”

The past two summer seasons combined drew in fewer than half of the passenger volumes of a pre-Covid summer season. The Plymouth to Roscoff route saw passenger numbers fall 89% in July to September 2021 compared to the same months in 2019.