UK low-cost carrier easyJet is to increase frequencies on its London Gatwick – Barcelona route to six flights per day, providing an extra 2,500 seats for business and leisure passengers each month. The new service will be introduced from January 6, 2012 and will offer a mid-afternoon option for travellers flying on the route. The expansion will also mean total flights from London to the Spanish city will increase to ten a day with twice daily option already provided from London Luton and London Stansted.

An estimated 464,000 O&D passengers travelled between London Gatwick and Barcelona in the past year, a route that easyJet currently holds a monopoly on after British Airways (BA) suspended its own flights between the two airports. In the past year, the low-cost carrier has witnessed a 25.8 per cent rise in passengers on the route, although its yield has slightly weakened as average one-way fares have slipped from $82 to $75.

“Due to this increased demand we are adding extra frequency on our popular Gatwick to Barcelona route, making it even more accessible for both business and leisure passengers in the region,” said Paul Simmons, UK Director, easyJet. “The fact that we are Gatwick’s largest airline reflects easyJet’s commitment to providing travellers in the region with the best choice of destinations, at convenient times and at the lowest possible fares.”

easyJet now offers passengers the choice of 93 destinations from London Gatwick, ten of which have been added in the past calendar year. These comprise: Kefalonia, Amman, Catania, Fuerteventura, Seville, Izmir, Bologna, Verona, Zagreb and Aberdeen.

easyJet’s Barcelona route was actually the third busiest route from London Gatwick during the past 12 months, behind Ryanair’s connection to Dublin and easyJet’s own service to Malaga. easyJet is by far the largest operator at London Gatwick and now accounts for a 43.2 per cent share of the total 27.3 million O&D passengers that travelled to or from the airport in the past 12 months. Its closest rivals are British Airways (15.0 per cent), Ryanair (6.4 per cent), Virgin Atlantic Airways (4.8 per cent) and flybe UK (4.7 per cent).