EasyJet plans to fly 60% of its pre-crisis capacity between July and September.

That's a big jump on the 17% seen in the previous quarter.

The boost comes as restrictions ease and travel demand returns.

On Tuesday (July 20) the group said it was confident about the autumn, too.

EasyJet is focusing on routes within the EU, whereas its business normally splits evenly between EU and UK flights.

Strong sales in the summer are key for the airline, as that is when it makes most of its profits.

Its bullish outlook is echoed by budget rivals like Ryanair and Wizz Air, which have both been adding flights.

The past year has seen easyJet shed staff and planes, and take on new debt to survive.

For the three months to the end of June, when most of Europe was under heavy restrictions, it posted a pretax loss of $434 million.

However, the firm says it has reduced its cash burn, and has plenty of liquidity to draw on.

EasyJet shares rose over 2% in early trades Tuesday.