NEWCASTLE, England, March 23 (Reuters) - The chief

executive of easyJet said European consumers would start

to see higher ticket prices as a result of the Iran war towards

the end of summer, when existing fuel hedges come to an end.

"The reality is that prices will start feeding through to

the consumer towards the back end of the summer, but equally it

depends what happens to fuel prices," CEO Kenton Jarvis said as

the airline opened a new base at Newcastle Airport in northeast

England.

The British budget airline said ​in January it had hedged

84% of its fuel needs for the first half of 2026, 62% for the

second and 43% for the first half of 2027, at an average cost of

$715, $688 and $671 per metric ton, respectively.