By Vincenzo Claudio Piscopo
EasyJet Opens First New Base in the U.K. Since the Pandemic
English low-cost carrier, EasyJet, announced the opening of a new base in the U.K., marking a significant step forward in the airline’s post-pandemic recovery. The new base, which will open its doors in March 2024, will be the first to open in the U.K. since the COVID-19 emergency and will provide a significant boost to the country’s economy. The creation of around 100 direct jobs and 1,200 indirect jobs is expected to have a positive impact on the U.K. labor market.
Birmingham will be home to the new easyJet base. The low-cost carrier will base three 186-seat A320s aircraft at Birmingham Airport, strengthening easyJet’s network in the U.K. and expanding travel options to new routes in Europe. This will be its ninth base in the U.K.
EasyJet already operates domestic and international services from Birmingham to destinations including Amsterdam, Geneva, Milan, Naples, Lisbon, Faro and Palma de Mallorca. From this summer, the airline will operate its biggest-ever schedule in the country, increasing capacity by around eight percent on the pre-pandemic period, adding one million seats and opening 57 new routes, 23 of which will depart from the U.K.
Johan Lundgren, CEO of easyJet, said the opening of the new base was evidence of the strong demand for travel, which continues to grow. The U.K. is easyJet’s largest market, with 55 percent of all passengers flying to and from U.K. airports. The British low-cost carrier began operations at London Luton almost 30 years ago and has since carried more than 800 million customers to and from the U.K.
Commenting on the expansion plans, easyJet CEO Johan Lundgren said: “Having served Birmingham for many years, the decision to open a base and grow at the airport is testament to the strong demand we are seeing, coupled with the importance of the U.K. market in supporting our profitable growth.”
The new base in Birmingham will not only have a positive impact on the local economy through direct and indirect job creation but will also support the U.K.’s domestic connectivity. Every aircraft based in the U.K. directly supports 400 jobs and adds £27 million ($33.6 million) of value to the country’s economy, taking into account direct, indirect and induced effects. Nick Barton, Managing Director of Birmingham Airport (BHX), said: “This major investment by easyJet is a huge vote of confidence in the West Midlands.”
This new base is a significant milestone in the U.K.’s post-pandemic aviation recovery. With a current fleet of over 300 aircraft flying nearly 1,000 routes to over 150 airports in 35 countries, EasyJet’s increased capacity and new routes confirm its position as one of the largest and most resilient airlines in the U.K. and Europe.
Vincenzo graduated in 2019 in Mechanical Engineering with an aeronautical curriculum, focusing his thesis on Human Factors in aircraft maintenance. In 2022 he pursued his master’s degree in Aerospace Engineering at the University of Palermo, Italy. He combines his journalistic activities with his work as a Reliability Engineer at Zetalab.