British airline EasyJet on Wednesday said it expected a pre-tax loss of up to £730 million in its first half as the coronavirus pandemic heavily weighs down the global aviation sector. It expects a pre-tax loss of between £690 million and £730 million ($947 million-$1.0 billion / 796 million euros-843 million euros) in the first six months of its fiscal year to the end of March, according to a trading update. Looking ahead, EasyJet chief executive Johan Lundgren said he welcomed the UK government's confirmation that international travel is on track to resume in mid-May. "We have the operational flexibility to rapidly increase flying and add destinations to match demand," Lundgren said. bcp/spm