easyJet adds new DSA base: A Statistical view

As easyJet announced its latest UK base would open at Doncaster Sheffield airport, the low cost carrier now will operate from 16 UK airports. Having also recently decided to discontinue services from East Midlands Airport (EMA) citing poor yields, it will be interesting to see how the carrier performs at its latest based operation. Having discontinued EMA, Jet2.com quickly decided to move into the market and establish its own base there, leaving easyJet available aircraft.

The decision to move into DSA will leave the carrier as the dominant player in the market. DSA has recently struggled for new carriers, having lost the likes of Thomsonfly which stopped scheduled operations, DSA currently operates some 20 weekly departures, with two airlines flybe and Wizz Air serving six destinations between, four to Poland, plus Jersey and Belfast City.

easyJet had traditionally operated from secondary airports, however recent years has seen a shift in focus with increased based units at airports such as Paris Charles de Gaulle and London Gatwick, the carrier also distributes its seats through GDS sales,a move away from its low cost routes.

In terms of capacity, easyJet has more seats out of London Gatwick, than any other airport in its UK network, with 41 based aircraft.In terms of weekly departures its current network is as follows

• London Gatwick -645 weekly departures
• London Luton - 319
• London Stansted-251
• Bristol - 219
• Belfast (BFS) - 210
• Liverpool - 166
• Edinburgh -148
• Glasgow - 123
• Newcastle - 91
• East Midlands- 51
• Manchester -46
• Inverness -21
• Bournemouth- 8
• Aberdeen - 7
• Jersey -3
• Birmingham -2

easyJet also plans to add a 5th based aircraft at Manchester in early January.