Airline considers adding new Jersey routes

Ali Gayward said that the airline was in discussions with Ports of Jersey to finalise its schedule for next year and added that it might look at offering more flights on its existing routes. The company is also looking at the feasibility of introducing new routes to and from the Island.

She added that the company hoped to announce its schedule for next summer by the end of this year and said that while nothing had been finalised, the airline was ‘always looking at Jersey’ when discussing potential new routes.

Her comments come as easyJet recorded a record number of passengers for 2017 and a total revenue increase of 8.1 per cent from 2016.

Mrs Gayward said that the company had increased the number of flights into Jersey by nine per cent in 2017 and that the Island had developed into a ‘really strong market’.

‘We have now got seven routes into Jersey,’ she said. ‘They have performed really well. We increased the amount of flying into Jersey and we plan to increase that again.’

She added that the company was not yet in a position to reveal its plans as discussions with Ports of Jersey were still ongoing. ‘Jersey is one that we are interested in developing,’ she said. ‘We have been adding a new route virtually every year and that is something that is under consideration. We work very closely with Ports of Jersey to look at new opportunities.’

The airline first arrived in Jersey in 2008, offering flights to Liverpool and Luton airports. Since then, additional flights to Gatwick, Belfast, Newcastle, Southend and Glasgow have been added.

Mrs Gayward said the company’s Worldwide scheme, which allows passengers to book onward and connecting flights in one booking, could be expanded to include more city airports. Currently, the scheme is only via Gatwick.

She said: ‘The Jersey-Gatwick route has proved popular. I think part of this is easyJet Worldwide allowing people to book easyJet to easyJet connections easily.

‘That has recently been expanded to some other airlines [such as Norwegian Airlines] and that presents more attractive opportunities to the people of Jersey. We plan to roll this out to other operators as well.’

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