Carolyn McCall, chief executive of easyJet, commenting on the year ahead, said: “In 2012 UK airlines and their passengers will face further increases in taxation while the development of the Government’s aviation policy continues at a snail’s pace.
“Airlines join the European Emissions Trading Scheme in January – undermining still further the imposition of Air Passenger Duty – while APD will itself rise still further in April. Both changes place a further financial burden on British airlines and their passengers while APD will undermine the aviation’s sector’s ability to support UK jobs and economic growth.
“Meanwhile the Government’s development of a long overdue aviation policy framework continues at a slow pace. As the UK outlines its draft policy this Spring, the Germans are opening a brand new airport in Berlin. The only bright spot for travellers in the South East is the launch of easyJet services from Southend Airport – the first new airport to open in the Southeast for decades, providing much-needed extra capacity.
“However, the aviation industry remains dynamic and innovative in improving the quality and reliability of its services for example easyJet has been testing and developing its own AVOID ash detection equipment so that it can be fitted on easyJet’s passenger aircraft by summer 2012.
“easyJet is also set to launch new services to Reykjavik as well as opening four new bases in 2012 – Southend, Nice, Toulouse and Lisbon – which will make travel easy and affordable for many millions more European passengers than ever.”
easyJet’s key dates in 2012
– 1 January Inclusion of aviation in the European Emissions Trading Scheme
– Spring Government publishes draft aviation policy framework
– 26 March Launch of easyJet services from Southend Airport
– 26 March Launch of new easyJet Toulouse base
– 27 March easyJet launches flights to Reykjavik, Iceland
– 1 April APD increases take effect
– 30 April Launch of new easyJet Nice base
– 3 June Berlin Brandenburg Airport opens Summer AVOID equipment approved to be fitted onto easyJet’s aircraft
New easyJet route launches for 2012
London Luton:
– Reykjavik, Iceland – 27 March 2012 three times a week
– Corfu – 31 March 2012 twice a week
– Crete (Heraklion) – 21 April twice a week
London Gatwick:
– Fuerteventura – 21 March 2012 two flights a week
– Kefalonia – 28 April 2012 three flights a week
– Italy Bari – 12 June three flights a week
London Southend:
– Amsterdam 2 April two flights a day
– Barcelona – 2 April daily
– Belfast – 2 April – two flights a day
– Alicante – 5 April daily
– Faro – 5 April daily
– Ibiza – 28 April three per week
– Palma – 1 May four flights per week
– Malaga – 1 May daily flights
– Jersey – 2 May up to daily by summer
New routes from regional airports:
– Bristol – Naples 12 May – three per week
– Edinburgh – Dalaman 17 April – two per week
– Edinburgh – Naples – 18 April – two per week
Key business routes – increases in frequency:
– In 2012 easyJet will be strengthening its business network further by adding flight frequencies to key routes such as Milan (Malpensa and Linate), Edinburgh, Glasgow, Amsterdam and Madrid.
– During 2012 easyJet will fly from London to Amsterdam fourteen times a day, one of Europe’s key business destinations.
– The airline will increase flights between London and Milan (Malpensa and Linate) up to nine per day and has also increased frequencies on Copenhagen and Venice from two to three per day.
– easyJet will operate 31 flights a day between London and Scottish airports – Aberdeen, Glasgow, Edinburgh and Inverness. The airline has recently doubled flights between Gatwick and Aberdeen from once to twice-daily.
easyJet operates on more of Europe’s top 100 city pairs than any other airline including British Airways, Lufthansa and Air France. This year easyJet has announced the introduction of Flexi fares which give passengers flexibility to change the date of their flights. The airline has also put a corporate sales team in place who will continue to establish strong partnerships with corporates and major travel management companies in 2012.
easyJet’s biggest destinations from the UK in 2012 – by predicted passenger number (excluding domestic routes)
1) Geneva
2) Amsterdam
3) Malaga
4) Alicante
5) Barcelona
6) Faro
7) Madrid
8) Berlin
9) Palma
10) Paris