EasyJet has cut its winter losses by at least £50m and said it is confident of a record summer, despite higher fuel costs and a £40m loss from the war in the Middle East. The airline said it expects pre-tax losses of between £340m and £360m for the traditionally loss-making six months to the end of March, in a trading update before its half-year results. EasyJet said demand for flights had rebounded after a six-week “softening” in searches and bookings from the start of the Israel-Gaza war in October. Related: Hundreds could die if Boeing fails to handle quality issues, whistleblower says The carrier said the net loss from cancelled flights to Israel and Jordan was about £40m, from refunds and lost revenue. EasyJet has now extended until October the suspension of Tel Aviv flights announced this week after Iran’s drone attack. The airline said it expected little direct financial impact from its decision in the coming months. The region, including Egypt, accounts for a far smaller fraction of easyJet’s operations in summer, down to 0.3% from about 4% in the winter months. The airline’s first-half profits were boosted by an early Easter, falling in March this year, offsetting a...