Jet2 says its new London Gatwick (LGW) base is performing ahead of expectations, reinforcing its strategy to expand across southern England as the UK leisure airline grows beyond its traditional northern heartland.
The airline and package holiday operator launched LGW flights in late March and is operating six aircraft from the airport during summer 2026. The base offers 79X-weekly flights to 29 leisure destinations, with a seventh aircraft already planned for summer 2027.
“Our launch at Gatwick is a major strategic milestone,” CEO Steve Heapy said. “It is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to accelerate our growth and establish a strong foothold in the south of England.”
OAG Schedules Analyser data shows Jet2 has about 9.78 million scheduled seats from the UK in summer 2026, up from 9.10 million in summer 2025, representing growth of about 7.5%. That sees Jet2’s share of total UK departing capacity rise from about 8% to 8.4%.
Manchester remains Jet2’s largest base, with almost 1.95 million scheduled seats in summer 2026, followed by Birmingham at 1.24 million and London Stansted at 1.17 million.
However, the standout development is in the south of England. LGW has about 448,000 summer 2026 departure seats, making it one of the airline’s larger bases. London Luton, launched in 2025, grows from about 209,000 seats in summer 2025 to more than 300,000 in summer 2026, a rise of 44%. The airline is also expanding from Bournemouth.
Jet2 now operates from 14 UK bases: Belfast International, Birmingham, Bournemouth, Bristol, East Midlands, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leeds Bradford, Liverpool John Lennon, London Gatwick, London Luton, London Stansted, Manchester and Newcastle.
Heapy said Gatwick gives Jet2 access to “a catchment of more than 50 million people within 60 minutes by road or rail,” adding that the airport is a natural fit given its strength in beach holidays and city breaks. More broadly, he said Jet2 sees a major opportunity through its southern bases at Bournemouth, Bristol, Luton, Stansted and LGW.
“Our household penetration in this region is currently less than 5% compared with over 13% across our established bases in the Midlands, the north of England, Scotland and Northern Ireland,” Heapy said. “Yet the UK population is split broadly 50/50 between these two areas. That shows the scale of the opportunity.”
Asked about the proposed second runway at LGW—which received approval last September—Heapy said Jet2 is “fully supportive” and would be ready to take advantage of additional capacity if it becomes available.
“One thing we do have is our aircraft order,” he said. “We have certainty of aircraft—and we are able to respond to opportunities as they arise.”
Related Content
