Express & Star

easyJet announces Birmingham Airport expansion set to support 800 jobs

Low-cost carrier easyJet says two additional aircraft will be based at Birmingham next year as it announced plans to further expand its Midlands operation.

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The company says the two extra Airbus A320 aircraft will support 800 direct and indirect jobs from next summer, as well as providing greater connectivity for customers in the Midlands.

easyJet operated its largest ever flying programme at Birmingham in its 2024 financial year and flew over 1.6 million customers to and from Birmingham, up 53% compared to last year. 

Earlier this month, the company added five new routes from Birmingham while last week it added flights to Malta and Gran Canaria from the Midlands.

This comes as the airline posts it 2024 financial year results, in which it delivered a 34% improvement in profit before tax of £610 million. This was driven by another consecutive record summer and a 56% improvement in easyJet holidays’ profits.

“Our continued success in Birmingham is a clear testament to the continued popularity of our flights and holidays, with customers choosing us for our trusted brand, unrivalled network and great value fares," said Ali Gayward, easyJet UK Country Manager.

“The growth of our fleet with two additional aircraft will not only support around 800 jobs but is enabling us to further unlock the opportunity of the continuing demand that we see for both leisure and business travel in the Midlands.

easyJet
easyJet

“We’re already capturing this opportunity with the launch of new routes next summer, which will provide more customers with greater choice and connectivity, and we look forward to welcoming them on board.”

The firm estimates the expansion will be worth £27 million in gross value added to the region's economy.

The airline opened it's Birmingham hub in March 2024, with the expansion taking the total number of aircraft based in the city to five Airbus A320. The firm operates up to 280 flights a week, and has flown over six million customers to and from Birmingham. easyJet launched services from Birmingham for the first time in December 2007, with flights from Birmingham to Geneva.

Tom Screen, Aviation Director of Birmingham Airport said: easyJet started its base from Birmingham Airport in March this year and since then its expansion of routes has been phenomenal. Offering city breaks, domestic short hops, sunshine holidays and even flights to see Santa in Lapland the airline caters for our customer’s holiday and business travel needs.

“The announcement of these two additional aircraft from Summer 2025 ensures that even more routes and frequencies will be added direct from Birmingham Airport offering customers convenient and competitive flights and holidays.”