Jet2 is set to challenge Easyjet on its home turf with the announcement of its expansion into London Luton Airport, where its rival is headquartered.
The Leeds-based airline will commence flights from the hub starting next April, marking London Luton as Jet2’s 13th UK base and introducing 17 new destinations, as reported by City AM.
The move by Jet2 is a strategic response to “strong demand” for flights and package holidays from customers and independent travel agents in London, Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, and Hertfordshire.
Following successful expansions into Bristol, Liverpool, and Bournemouth, the carrier continues to grow its presence across the UK.
In its inaugural summer season operating out of London Luton Airport, Jet2 plans to offer 430,000 seats and schedule 36 weekly flights.
Jet2 to create over 125 jobs
Steve Heapy, CEO of Jet2.com and Jet2holidays, expressed his enthusiasm: “We are very excited to announce London Luton Airport as our 13th UK airport base today, further expanding our footprint and bringing our award-winning holidays and flights to even more customers.”
He added, “Customers and independent travel agents have been asking us to open at London Luton Airport for many years now, so we know how enormously popular this announcement will be.”
Heapy concluded by highlighting the company’s track record: “We have seen time and time again how popular our product is when we bring it to new customers, and we look forward to delivering our VIP customer service to holidaymakers from our newest airport base.”
He further commented: “This latest expansion reflects our strategy to be the UK’s leading and best leisure travel business, and it underlines the confidence we have in our leisure travel product offering.”
“As well as signalling great news for holidaymakers, today is also a major boost for the local economy as our significant investment includes the creation of over 125 jobs initially.”
“We are looking forward to our first day of flying, when we can begin delighting customers with our flights and holidays, just like we do with millions of other customers across the UK every single year.”
Revenue takes off at expanding carrier
The expansion follows Jet2 increasing its dividend by more than a third after record passenger numbers boosted its revenue and profit during its most recent financial year.
The Aim-listed carrier, headquartered at Leeds Bradford Airport and now the UK’s third-largest airline, reported a 24 per cent rise in revenue from £5bn to £6.2bn in the year ended 31 March, 2024.
It transported a total of 17.7m passengers in the financial year, a nine per cent increase on its previous 12 months, which was further enhanced by securing a higher margin per passenger on its passage holidays up 15 per cent.
(Image: Publicity Picture)
‘Fantastic news’ for London Luton Airport
Alberto Martin, chief executive of London Luton Airport, added: “We are delighted to welcome Jet2, the UK’s leading package holiday provider, to London Luton Airport.”
“The arrival of Jet2 is fantastic news for the millions of passengers who choose to fly from the airport each year and marks a major expansion of Jet2’s operations in the south of England.”
“It will also create exciting new jobs for local people and new opportunities for our local supply chain that we already work so closely with.”
“Next year is shaping up to be another bumper year for London Luton Airport and the addition of 17 exciting new routes on our departure boards, including three destinations that are exclusive to the airport, underlines our commitment to providing even greater choice as part of our simple and friendly passenger experience.”
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Original artice – https://business-live.co.uk/all-about/yorkshire-humber
