easyJet is planning for Summer 2022, with the announcement it is planning to open more seasonable bases.
EasyJet Airbus A319 climbing out of Manchester Airport – Image, Economy Class and Beyond
The airline will expand its network of seasonal bases by adding five more aircraft across bases Malaga, Palma de Mallorca and Faro from May 2022.
The investment will create around 120 direct jobs in Spain where the airline currently employs more than 400 people, all under local contracts along with 30 jobs in the Faro base.
As a result, next summer easyJet will have five based aircraft in Malaga where it is the second-largest airline, and seven in Palma, bringing the Spanish fleet to 16 aircraft, including four in its base in Barcelona.
It will also add an additional aircraft into Portugal at the Faro base. This means the airline will have increased its fleet based in Portugal and Spain by 70% compared to pre-pandemic levels.
With more capacity in the region, it should allow easyJet to take advantage of demand, as well as explore new destinations if required.
In Quotes
Commenting on the expansion plans, Johan Lundgren, CEO of easyJet, said:
“As easyJet has navigated effectively through the pandemic, the establishment of two new seasonal bases has been an important move. The decision to add five aircraft to these bases is testament to the important role they play in our network now and in the post-pandemic recovery.
“They have provided us with the additional flexibility to capture the most demand on these popular routes. We can now continue growing our presence in these key destinations from next May, demonstrating our confidence in the continued recovery of leisure and beach travel next summer.
“So, in summary, we see so many opportunities for easyJet in this period of recovery across Europe where legacy airlines will retrench and we are ready and able to grab them with both hands.
“We are ideally positioned to take advantage of these strategic growth opportunities with customers choosing us for our trusted brand, unrivalled network and low fares.”
Bullish for 2022
For easyJet, the airline is focusing on its plans for the future – even as others make noises about its future. Instead, it seems to be focusing on actual services and planning for the year ahead – which is good to see.
With competition warming back up, along with passengers being able to travel again, it will need to ensure it’s in a position for the airline to take advantage.
Having five aircraft based in its summer sun areas, providing connectivity could be a good push on that front.
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