Regional UK airport gets new easyJet base – with 16 flight routes added this summer including Spain and Greece

PASSENGERS wanting to fly easyJet from Birmingham have today been given a major boost.

Today (Monday, March 18), easyJet announced the opening of its first new UK base in over a decade.

The budget airline, which already has eight bases in UK airports like London Gatwick, Bristol and Edinburgh, will operate 16 new routes from its brand-new base at Birmingham Airport.

While the low-cost airline already operates direct flights from Birmingham Airport to popular destinations like Amsterdam, Geneva, Milan, Naples, Faro and Palma de Mallorca, more than 10 new routes will be added to the airline’s roster this summer.

From Birmingham Airport, easyJet will fly to Barcelona, Malaga, Alicante, Fuerteventura and Tenerife.

Flights from Birmingham Airport to Barcelona will start from as little as £30 for a one-way ticket, with two flights operating each week.

Other new routes are set to include Antalya and Dalaman in Turkey, as well as other destinations in Greece like Rhodes, Kos, Heraklion and Corfu.

EasyJet will also operate flights from Birmingham Airport to Berlin, Sharm El Sheikh, Larnaca Intl and Jersey.

It is thought that the new base will create 140 direct jobs while supporting a further 1200 indirect jobs in the region.

Johan Lundgren, CEO of easyJet, said: “We are excited to open our newest UK base at Birmingham today, providing more choice,
competition and connectivity as well as supporting over 1200 jobs for the region.”

Meanwhile, Nick Barton, CEO of Birmingham Airport said: “Today sees our growing partnership with easyJet reach new heights as the airline bases three aircraft here at Birmingham Airport.

“Customers can now take advantage of the airline’s 16 new routes and have the flexibility of flight only or a full package holiday.”

A new mural celebrating easyJet’s new base at Birmingham Airport was also unveiled.

The colourful painting depicted local legends from Birmingham and the West Midlands, including Ozzy Osbourne and Benjamin Zephaniah.

Other local heroes were also honoured in the painting, including Football coach Asha Rage and Birmingham-based easyJet cabin crew member Kieron Sparkes who supports The Mary Stevens Hospice.

There are plenty of other new routes in operation too.

BRUMMIES’ NEW ROUTES

At the end of last year, Pegasus Airlines, a low-cost carrier based in Turkey, launched flights from Birmingham Airport.

The new route is now operating between Birmingham Airport and Sabiha Gökçen International Airport in Istanbul.

Three weekly flights are operating from Birmingham Airport on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, with flights departing at 1.10pm local time, with a flight time of 5 hours.

Return flights from Sabiha Gökçen International Airport will depart on the same day at 10.30am local time.

One-way fares between the two cities start from £39.99 per person.

OTHER EASYJET ROUTES

Low-cost airline easyJet is set to operate a brand-new route between London Gatwick and a newly-revamp airport in Italy.

The airline will fly twice weekly from London Gatwick to Pontecagnano (Salerno) Airport, which is currently undergoing a huge £400million renovation, making easyJet the first UK airline to operate commercial flights to Salerno Airport.

From July, twice-weekly flights will depart every Tuesday and Saturday, with one-way tickets starting from £27.99.

Ryanair is also launching flights from Cornwall Airport and Cardiff Airport, with new routes to Paris and Faro among some of those announced.