Airline to create 175 jobs as part of biggest ever Manchester Airport expansion

EasyJet to expand at Manchester Airport

Budget airline EasyJet has announced its largest ever expansion at Manchester Airport.

The airline is adding five new aircraft and creating 175 jobs at the airport.

The move means that EasyJet will be adding five new routes and will carry an extra 1.5m passengers a year.

The five new destinations are Innsbruck, Lanzarote, Faro, Barcelona and Bordeaux – the 1,000th for the airline.

Tickets for the flights have already gone on sale and the new routes will start in November.

EasyJet flew over 3.5 million passengers from Manchester last year alone, having flown over 10m since the airline started operations in the North West in 2008.

It will now have 17 aircraft at the airport and will carry five million passengers a year. The expansion represents a 40% increase in growth.

Ali Gayward, UK country manager, easyJet, said: “This announcement to expand our operations in Manchester is fantastic news for the North West and will create thousands of new jobs supporting the local economy and both inbound tourism as well as even more choice for consumers in the North West.

“Our growth of an additional five aircraft next summer will be the biggest single investment easyJet will make in the entire network in 2019, and reflects our commitment to Manchester, providing customers even better connectivity with new NEO aircraft to new destinations and more choice than ever before.”

Andrew Cowan, chief executive of Manchester Airport, said: “We’re delighted to see easyJet’s commitment to Manchester Airport and the region with the announcement of five new aircraft and five new routes.

“It will provide our passengers with even greater choice when they come to book their holidays.

“Their growth will also create hundreds of jobs, which along with the £1bn investment we are making in the transformation of the airport, demonstrates the various ways in which the region benefits from having a thriving international gateway.”

Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham said: “This expansion by easyJet is to be welcomed and is clear evidence that Greater Manchester is a globally-facing city-region that’s open for business.

“It is vital that Greater Manchester remains a well-connected travel hub and the creation of five new routes from Manchester Airport will provide us with new business opportunities as well as exciting new travel destinations.

“EasyJet’s endorsement of the Airport as the base not only for new routes but their milestone 1,000th route demonstrates Greater Manchester is one of the world’s most outward-facing, dynamic and thriving city-regions. We look forward to continuing to welcome visitors from across the globe.”

Click here to sign up to receive our new South West business news...
Close