Leisure airline Jet2.com and its package tour sister company Jet2holidays have celebrated the launch of their first flights from Stansted Airport.
Four Jet2 routes began today, to Alicante, Faro, Lanzarote and Majorca, with more than 20 other destinations due to follow by the time this year’s summer schedule reaches its peak.
Jet2, which also began flying from Birmingham today, now operates from nine UK airports, also including Belfast International, East Midlands, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leeds Bradford, Manchester and Newcastle.
The scale of its operation at Stansted, which involves seven brand new Boeing 737-800 aircraft, makes the Essex airport Jet2’s fourth-largest UK base, with more than 250 jobs having been created in flight and cabin crew, engineering and ground operation roles.
All of today’s inaugural flights were full with passengers receiving personalised gifts from Jet2.com and Jet2holidays, including free holidays for the first to book in – Lynne Avers from Dagenham, Sylvia Honeywell from Chigwell, Pauline Barnard from Milton Keynes and Carla Poulton, also from Chigwell.
Steve Heapy, chief executive of Jet2.com and Jet2holidays, said: “We have got off to a flying start in every sense at London Stansted Airport.
“Customers in the region have been hearing all about Jet2.com and Jet2holidays’ family-friendly ethos, great value package holidays and award-winning customer service, and today they finally get to experience all of that.
“Our formula is proven, having driven phenomenal loyalty and growth in northern England, Scotland and Northern Ireland and we are very excited to be bringing this to our new customers across the East of England and in London.”
Mr Heapy said Jet2 had opted to launch flights from Stansted as it saw a gap in the market for its package holiday offer, with more new destinations already being planned for 2018.
He added that the company was confident it would see no impact from Brexit, despite concerns over future access to the European Union market for UK airlines.
“We fly holidaymakers to countries such as Spain, Greece and Portugal where tourism is an important part of their economies and we cannot see them not allowing flights from the UK,” he said.
Andrew Cowan, Stansted Airport chief executive, said: “We’re absolutely delighted to welcome the first Jet2.com passengers to London Stansted as they jet off on the airline’s first ever flights from the airport on brand new aircraft.
“This is the start of what we believe will be a very successful partnership, providing people from across London and the East of England with a fantastic range of great value, quality holidays and a wide choice of flight-only options to many European hotspots from their local airport.
“We wish Jet2.com and its customers all the very best for what promises to be an exciting and very popular summer ahead.”
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