easyJet Offers Channel Island Connection from Newcastle

UK low-cost carrier easyJet has confirmed the launch of flights between Newcastle International Airport and Jersey, in the Channel Islands, as part of a new enlarged summer 2013 flight schedule. The budget operator will commence twice weekly flights from March 26, 2013, its second new route to be launched from the North East English airport: easyJet will also launch services to Amsterdam Schiphol from December 13, 2012.

“I’m confident Jersey will prove to be a popular destination for our passengers in the North East. easyJet currently flies to Jersey from Liverpool, Glasgow and London Southend and the route has had a huge impact on tourism levels both inbound and outbound which is why we were keen to introduce it into more schedules across our UK bases,” said Hugh Aitken, UK Commercial Manager, easyJet.

The new twice-weekly service will operate on Tuesdays and Saturdays and will provide passengers in the region with flexible and affordable access into Jersey to enjoy cultural breaks as well as making it easier for inbound passengers to visit the North East of England. Flybe already serves the route on seasonal basis and has been flying between Newcastle and Jersey since 2002.

According to UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) data, 14,179 passengers travelled on the route in 2011, up 11.6 per cent over the previous year. “The new easyJet service to Jersey will enable more people to sample all that Jersey has to offer including its history, beautiful beaches, cultural venues, scenic walks and cycle trails,” added Chris Sanders, Aviation Development Director, Newcastle International Airport.

easyJet is the largest airline at Newcastle International Airport by annual seat capacity and it currently operates more than 6,800 flights and carries in excess of 900,000 people each year. The airline has on average 22 daily flights to and from the airport and flies 2,400 people each day to its eight year-round destinations including; Belfast, Bristol, Alicante, Amsterdam, Barcelona, Faro, Malaga and Malta.

The table below highlights easyJet’s presence in Newcastle since it acquired control of Go and gained its first access to the North East English city in 2003. In its first four years of operations it built capacity at the airport, but since 2007 it has reduced its presence, but remains Newcastle’s leading airline by capacity. This has resulted in easyJet’s share of capacity at the airport declining from 42.3 per cent in 2004 to just 20.2 per cent this year, due to its own capacity cuts but also due to increased competition at Newcastle, most notably from expanding low-fare carrier Jet2.com.