2008: Easyjet launch its first flights to and from the Island, with routes to Liverpool and Luton
2009: Luton route stopped
2011: Glasgow joins Liverpool
2012: London Southend becomes the third route offered by the airline
2013: Newcastle flights are added
2014: London Gatwick and Belfast become the fifth and sixth routes operated from the Island
2015: company celebrates its millionth passenger
The carrier last week celebrated its one millionth passenger using the Jersey service, which operates to and from Gatwick, Southend, Liverpool, Belfast, Glasgow and Newcastle.
Blue Islands are currently the only airline to provide direct routes to non-UK and Ireland destinations, offering flights to Chambery in south-western France and Geneva in Switzerland.
And following the success of easyJet’s six routes – which cater for a total of 350,000 people to and from the Island each year – the operator is now considering introducing flights to cities in other European countries.
Locations in France and Portugal have been highlighted as strong possibilities.
Jennifer Groves, easyJet’s route manager for Jersey, said that the Island routes had performed strongly since they were launched in 2008.
‘Its a very, very successful place for us.
‘In the peak summer months our passenger volume percentages have been in the mid to high eighties across our six routes, which are very very strong numbers,’ she said.
‘Reaching our one millionth passenger is a hugely significant milestone and a great achievement for the company.
‘We are always looking at opportunities to grow and look at new routes and flights to continental Europe from Jersey are certainly not out of the equation.
‘We have been looking at routes to Madeira and we have recently introduced flights from Edinburgh and Manchester to Funchal.
‘We are aware that Jersey has a particularly strong Portuguese community and there is a potential for routes to Lisbon and Funchal.
‘We are also looking at France and a few of the southern regions there,’ she said.
However, Ms Groves said that there were no concrete plans for new routes and if the European destinations were to come to fruition, or if any changes would be made to existing flights, it would be from 2016 at the very earliest.
– easyJet operates more than 600 routes across more than 30 countries
– The carrier employs more than 8,000 people including 2,000 pilots and 4,500+ cabin crew.
– In 2014, easyjet flew in excess of 60 million passengers.
– 300 million people across Europe live within a one hour drive of an easyJet airport.
‘All of our summer 2015 flights are now on sale and it’s too early to say when routes could be added.
‘We want to continue to build and grow on our existing routes and to continue to offer affordably priced travel for our customers.
She added: ‘Flights are going really well at the moment.
‘Our Liverpool flight recently passed a half a million passengers since it started in 2008 and our Gatwick flights are now running three times every day and are proving popular.
‘We shall continue to be fully committed to serving Jersey and supporting tourism in the Island.’
BLUE Islands axed direct flights to three European cities last month following the announcement of a codeshare agreement with Irish airline CityJet.
The flights to Zurich, Paris and Amsterdam, which each run several times a week, ended on 5 January.
However, Islanders will be able to book flights from Jersey to several new European destinations on Blue Islands and CityJet routes.
Under the policy, Islanders can book the whole flight through Blue Islands before flying to London City Airport with the airline and catching a connecting flight with CityJet.
The new destinations are Dublin, Antwerp and Rotterdam, plus Paris and Amsterdam.
Blue Islands will also be running an additional daily lunchtime flight to London City.
Rob Veron, managing director of Blue Islands, said: ‘Our codeshare with CityJet will transform travel to and from Jersey to Europe.
‘Passengers will immediately have access to three new European cities on our network together with Amsterdam and Paris, significantly more frequency, and greater flexibility, and all bookable with Blue Islands.’
FOR many years Islanders dreamed of being able to benefit from the deals offered by low-cost airlines, such as easyJet and Ryanair, so that they could take full advantage of rock-bottom pricing.
And since the arrival of easyJet, now Britain’s biggest carrier in terms of passenger numbers, Islanders have embraced what has been on offer to the extent that the airline’s bosses have exploited a lucrative market and, it seems, have seen an opportunity to expand.
It must therefore be good news for the economy when, for many years, airlines have been reducing their offering in and out of Jersey and others have remained static, that easyJet is prepared to invest.
For those who have made Jersey their home from overseas, often having to leave loved ones behind, the Island can sometimes feel a very remote and expensive place from which to travel.
But news that the airline is exploring the creation of new routes from Jersey to both Funchal and Lisbon will be welcomed by our Madeiran and Portuguese communities, who could soon have the pressures of living away from home eased by access to direct, regular and cheap flights.
