New jobs on the way as Jet2.com marks first anniversary at Birmingham Airport

Airline Jet2.com and its Jet2holidays sister company have more than doubled their workforce at the airport since launching 12 months ago, and will have 500 people based in Birmingham when their summer schedule gets under way

To mark the birthday, Jet2 is also offering families whose children share a first birthday a special treat - the chance to win a free holiday or free flights.

Since its first flight from Birmingham Airport on March 30, 2017, the company has flown more than 800,000 customers to and from its newest base, and says strong demand has enabled it to enjoy continued growth.

A year ago, the company flew to 23 destinations from Birmingham whereas today it operates to 39 destinations from the base, with capacity more than doubling for this summer. At launch the company operated four aircraft at the base, but during the peak season this year there will be nine aircraft based at Birmingham.

That growth means that the company has also increased its workforce at Birmingham, investing significantly in the local economy as a result. In Summer 18, Jet2.com and Jet2holidays will employ 500 people at the base, up from just over 200 when it launched. To support that, has announced the creation of 60 new roles in ground operations and cabin crew positions.

The company is taking all ramp-handling services in-house, so 50 of the roles are new fixed term and permanent jobs for ramp agent, baggage loader and dispatch positions. Working as part of the ground operations team.

The company said successful candidates would be responsible for ensuring that flights depart safely and on time, "whilst providing a VIP service to customers".

In addition, there are approximately 190 cabin crew positions available at Birmingham Airport.

In its first year, the company has operated almost 5,000 flights to and from Birmingham Airport, which is the equivalent of flying almost six million miles in total, or 12 trips to the Moon and back. In that time, customers have sipped 100,000 cups of tea and have bought more than 35,000 Kit Kats on board.

Steve Heapy, CEO of Jet2.com and Jet2holidays, said: “Our first year at Birmingham Airport has been a great success, and we are delighted at how well our flights and holidays have been received by customers in the region.

"A year ago I talked about why Jet2.com and Jet2holidays’ family friendly ethos, great value package holidays and award-winning customer service gave us tremendous confidence at Birmingham, and this has proven to be the case.

“The Jet2.com and Jet2holidays team has worked tremendously hard to make our operation at Birmingham Airport such a success, and I am pleased to announce that we are growing our team even more today. In addition, we could not enjoy this success without the support of loyal customers, and this is exactly why we are offering these free holidays and free flights – as a way of saying thank you.”

Tom Screen, interim aviation director at the airport, said: “Jet2.com and Jet2holidays arrived at Birmingham Airport with a big presence last year and this was certainly a sign of things to come as they’ve gone from strength to strength.

"Their fantastic choice of destinations is continuing to expand and their family friendly service means they have already established a loyal customer following across the airport catchment area.”

To mark the first anniversary, the family friendly airline and tour operator is encouraging families with children who share a first birthday on March 30, 2018 to join the celebration. By simply sending an email, they could win a birthday present for all the family - a one-week holiday for two adults and two children to the Sandos Papagayo Beach Resort in Lanzarote.

The company is also offering 10 families a pair of return flights to one of the 39 destinations that it operates to from Birmingham. To apply, email to 1stbirthday@jet2.com if you have a child that shares a first birthday on March 30, 2018.

The deadline for entries is 00.01 on Sunday, April 1, and one entry will be picked at random on Tuesday, April 3, to win a free holiday, and ten entries will be picked at random to win a pair of free flights. Terms and conditions apply, and can be found here: https://www.jet2.com/promotions and https://www.jet2holidays.com/promotions