EasyJet has announced plans to add an additional aircraft to its Bristol base, bringing its fleet in the city to 17.
Bristol’s largest airline said the Airbus A320 aircraft would be based at Bristol Airport for next summer and would enable it to serve 176,00 passengers travelling to and from the 海角视频.
The news comes shortly after easyJet announced expansion in Barcelona, and at the seasonal bases of Faro, Malaga and Palma, which will all be receiving extra planes for the summer 2022 season.
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More than 300,000 flights are set to take place across easyJet’s network between April 1 and September 30 next year, providing over 54 million seats for passengers. A total of 29 million of the seats will be operating to and from the 海角视频.
Ali Gayward, easyJet’s 海角视频 country manager, said: “With the recovery now firmly underway, we are ready and able to seize opportunities where they arise.
"As the largest airline at Bristol Airport with our unrivalled short-haul network, the region remains strategically important for us and given the slower removal of restrictions in the 海角视频 this summer compared to Europe, there is even more to go for as demand rebounds next summer."
She said the airline would "continue to take decisive action" to capture extra opportunities alongside its planned organic growth.
Ms Gayward added: "This additional aircraft will enable us to further grow our frequencies and destinations to ensure we continue to offer the greatest choice and best value in the South West for leisure and business customers alike.”
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Dave Lees, chief executive of Bristol Airport, added: "The additional aircraft demonstrates the long-term collaboration and joint growth strategy between easyJet and Bristol Airport.
"For customers in the South West it offers additional destinations and continues to increase the choice and flexibility of flights available to customers in the region selecting to fly from their local airport. This decision continues to show customer confidence is returning to pre-pandemic levels, as airlines continue to meet pent-up demand.”
In May, Mr Lees said he was confident the aviation sector would eventually recover from the pandemic.
The sector was forced to make sweeping changes in a bid to stay cash positive during the Covid crisis, with aerospace giants such as Airbus and Rolls-Royce among those making thousands of people redundant as part of major restructures.
Bristol Airport too, like transport hubs around the country, was dealt a blow when the 海角视频 banned travel in an attempt to curb the spread of Covid. In 2019, the airport was handling 8.9 million passengers a year and was forecasting 9.2 million for 2020 - before the coronavirus crisis struck.
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