Budget carrier adds an eighth aircraft to support expanding network at NW airport

Budget airline, easyJet, Liverpool John Lennon Airport’s (LJLA) biggest operator, will base an extra aircraft at the site from next summer, its eighth in Liverpool, which it says will support around 400 jobs.

In its 2024 financial year the airline carried 18% more customers through Liverpool compared with last year and introduced eight new routes to Malta, Fuerteventura, Prague, Berlin, Marrakesh, City of Derry, Sharm el Sheikh and Oslo.

It recently added a seventh Airbus A320 aircraft to its fleet at the airport this winter.

Growth at Liverpool has been driven by demand for leisure travel, with a quarter of customers at Liverpool travelling on an easyJet holiday.

Beach packages have proven particularly popular, and holidaymakers have been heading to the likes of Costa Blanca, Majorca and Tenerife.

The arrival of an eighth aircraft at Liverpool next summer will service new routes, including to Split in Croatia which went on sale last week.

Paul Winfield, director of aviation for LJLA, said: “We are naturally delighted to see easyJet further strengthen their operations here at Liverpool John Lennon Airport.

“As a long term partner, easyJet have helped over 50 million passengers take advantage of Liverpool’s Faster, Easier Friendlier airport experience over the past 27 years and the basing of their 8th aircraft with eight new routes for next summer will see easyJet to continue to grow its operations here.”

He added: “It also brings the potential for further route expansion in the future, to the benefit of the Liverpool City Region and the wider North West and North Wales in what is the largest aviation market in the UK outside London.

“Today’s news is great for the local economy, too, with more jobs created to help support their expanding operation.”

Ali Gayward, easyJet UK country manager, said: “Our success in Liverpool is a testament to the continued popularity of our flights and holidays, with over 2.2 million customers this year choosing us for our trusted brand, unrivalled network and great value fares.

“The growth of our fleet with yet another aircraft at our Liverpool base will not only support around 400 jobs, but is enabling us to further unlock the opportunity of the continuing demand that we see for both leisure and business travel in the North West.”

She added: “We’re already capturing this opportunity with the launch of more new routes, which will provide more customers with greater choice when booking a well earned holiday and we look forward to welcoming them on board.”

The carrier launched services from Liverpool for the first time in October 1997, with the opening of its base with flights to Nice, Amsterdam and Geneva.

It has remained committed to Liverpool by maintaining a continuous operation and has grown to operate up to nearly 328 flights a week, offering 27 routes to 17 countries across Europe and North Africa and has flown more than 53 million customers since operations began.

Today, easyJet connects Liverpool to major cities across Europe like Paris, Amsterdam, Berlin and Barcelona; to a range of beach destinations like Faro, Hurghada, Paphos, Corfu, Bodrum and Corfu; to popular ski resorts via Salzburg and Geneva and across the UK, with services to Belfast, City of Derry, the Isle of Man and Jersey.