easyJet announce Doncaster base

EasyJet is grabbing all the headlines at the moment - yesterday with the news that Andy Harrison will vacate the chief executive position in 2010 and today with the announcement of 36 new routes across Europe.

The expansion includes adding Doncaster Sheffield Airport to the network with five new routes to Amsterdam, Barcelona, Faro, Palma (Majorca) and Prague; plus the introduction of fifth aircraft at Manchester, which will operate to Mahon (Menorca), Sharm el Sheik and Zurich from spring next year.

Paul Simmons, easyJet's UK regional general manager commented on the airline's move into Doncaster Sheffield by saying: "By operating services from Doncaster Sheffield Airport, easyJet can now tap in to the attractive Yorkshire catchment area and major conurbations such as Sheffield, Doncaster, Barnsley Rotherham, Hull, Worksop and Wakefield. With over 40 flights in/out per week, the equivalent of a based aircraft, our choice of destinations is expected to attract both the business and leisure travellers.

Neil Pakey, deputy CEO of Peel Airports added: "There is a clear message in this that local people want to fly from their local airport and not have to trek to Heathrow or across the Pennines in needless car or train journeys. Regional airports are vital to the economic prosperity of city regions and we welcome easyJet's massive multi-million pound investment into Doncaster and the Sheffield City Region and to the wider Yorkshire, North Notts, North Lincolnshire and North Derbyshire regions."

EasyJet said in a statement this makes it the biggest airline in the North of England, with 18% of its capacity operating from the North of England and over 40% of its total UK network operating outside of London serving the regions.

The new routes are:
• Bristol - Paphos
• Bristol - Tenerife
• Doncaster - Amsterdam
• Doncaster - Barcelona
• Doncaster - Faro
• Doncaster - Palma de Mallorca
• Doncaster - Prague
• Edinburgh - Lisbon
• London Gatwick - Bordeaux
• Liverpool - Rhodes
• Manchester - Zurich
• Manchester - Sharm El Sheik
• Manchester - Mahon
• Amsterdam - Split
• Basel - Nantes
• Basel - Split
• Basel - Thessaloniki
• Basel - Ajaccio
• Dortmund - Palma de Mallorca
• Rome Fiumicino - Dubrovnik
• Rome Fiumicino - Heraklion
• Rome Fiumicino - Ibiza
• Rome Fiumicino - Mykonos
• Rome Fiumicino - Palma de Mallorca
• Rome Fiumicino - Split
• Ibiza - Naples
• Ibiza - Venice
• Milan Malpensa - Bordeaux
• Milan Malpensa - Corfu
• Milan Malpensa - Thessaloniki
• Milan Malpensa - Santorini
• Paris Orly - Mykonos
• Paris Orly - Olbia
• Paris Orly - Palermo (Sicily)
• Berlin Schoenefeld - Corfu
• Berlin Schoenefeld - Split