The new base at Newcastle Airport and continued expansion of UK fleet will provide greater consumer choice for flights and holidays and support connectivity and jobs

  • Three-aircraft base will support around 1,200* jobs including 140 direct jobs for pilots and cabin crew

  • Airline is now operating up to 86 flights per week on 22 routes from Newcastle Airport, up 85% from last summer and nearly tripling the number of destinations on its network

  • The base opening will continue to drive the rapid growth of easyJet holidays, which is set to see its biggest ever summer in 2026

  • easyJet’s UK fleet will grow across the UK this summer with eight modern, more fuel-efficient aircraft joining bases in Birmingham, Bristol, Manchester, Liverpool and Glasgow, providing more regional connectivity for the UK

  • Since 2023 easyJet has grown by nearly a third in the UK regions and have launched over 200 new routes, providing vital connectivity and affordable choice for UK consumers.

easyJet has opened its 11th UK base at Newcastle Airport, supporting 1200 jobs creating 140 direct jobs for pilots and crew.

This marks a continued trajectory of UK growth for the airline as it opens a third base in as many years, having launched bases at Birmingham International in 2024 and London Southend in 2025, fuelled by demand for its flights and holidays across the UK.

The airline is now operating up to 86 flights a week from Newcastle to 22 leisure destinations – an 85% increase compared to last summer.

The base opening has enabled the airline to more than double the number of destinations on its Newcastle Airport network, providing more choice for customers in the North East of England, Southern Scotland, North Yorkshire and Cumbria. This includes new routes taking off from today to Antalya, Corfu, Dalaman, Enfidha, Faro, Lisbon, Malta, Nice, Prague, Reus, Rhodes, Rome, Sharm-El-Sheikh, and Tenerife.

The new base provides over 800,000 seats for holidaymakers planning their getaway for this summer and continues to drive easyJet holidays’ rapid growth, with 2026 set to see biggest ever summer season. Palma de Mallorca, Alicante and Rhodes are currently the most popular destinations for a package holiday from Newcastle Airport this summer.

The airline has continued to grow across UK regions, with eight new Airbus A320 family aircraft joining its UK-based fleet in Birmingham, Bristol, Manchester, Liverpool, Glasgow and Newcastle. This growth is strengthening vital UK connectivity for both holidaymakers and the more than five million customers travelling for business, while supporting thousands of jobs.

Since 2023 easyJet has grown by nearly a third (31%) at its regional bases, offering over 200 more routes, meaning more UK consumers have even greater connectivity and affordable choice from their local airport.

This year, easyJet has over 60 million seats to and from the UK, up 5% compared to last year.

Kenton Jarvis, easyJet’s CEO, said:

“I am incredibly proud to be opening our new base at Newcastle today — a significant milestone that underlines our continued growth and investment in the UK regions.

“By strengthening connectivity from Newcastle, we are providing more choice and great value fares, while making it easier for people to travel to a wide range of destinations from their local airport.

“Aviation plays a vital role in enabling economic growth, and this new base will support skilled jobs, boost regional connectivity and help drive prosperity here in the North East and beyond.

“Through our expanding fleet, unrivalled short-haul network and unique easyJet holidays offering we are continuing to capture the opportunities we see in the UK and reinforce our position as the largest UK airline, ensuring travel remains easy, accessible and affordable for more people.”

Nick Jones, Newcastle Airport’s CEO, said:

“The launch of easyJet’s new base is fantastic news for Newcastle Airport and the wider North East region.

“With flights now operating to 22 destinations, the base provides even more choice for passengers with over 800,000 seats available this summer and further strengthens the Airport’s largest ever flight programme.

“It also delivers substantial economic benefits through the creation of high‑quality jobs, will help attract more inbound visitors to the region and build on the significant contribution the Airport already makes to the regional economy, generating more than £1 billion in Gross Value Added (GVA) each year.

“easyJet’s investment is a huge vote of confidence in the Airport and the North East and it will play a vital role in helping us meet the growing demand for flights and package holidays as we prepare for our busiest year on record, with six million passengers expected.”

North East Mayor, Kim McGuinness said:

“easyJet’s new base in the region means more choice for North East holidaymakers, but Newcastle Airport isn’t just where holidays begin. It is also one of the busiest gateways to the North East, welcoming tourists and business travellers from across the UK, Europe and beyond.

“easyJet’s base in Newcastle is a boost of confidence in North East tourism, but importantly, it’s an investment in our people, and boost to good jobs in the supply chain for thousands of local people, from pilots and ground crew, to hospitality workers.

“Tourism jobs are a key part of our foundational economy. In our countryside, along our coast or in our cities, tourism means jobs at the local level. That’s why tourism is a key part of my growth plans for the region and why I’m pleased to welcome easyJet’s investment back into our region, and the strength in our region’s tourism that it represents.”

easyJet was founded 30 years ago and since then it has flown over 800 million customers to and from the UK. Today, easyJet is the largest UK airline and serves 22 UK airports offering flights and package holidays across more than 650 routes to nearly 140 destinations across Europe, North Africa and employs c.12,000 people across England, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

For further information, please contact the easyJet Press Office via medicentre.easyJet.com/contacts or on 01582 525252

Notes to editors

*Each UK-based aircraft directly supports 400 jobs and £27m UK GVA considering direct, indirect and induced impacts according to an independent assessment commissioned by Airlines UK.

Destination

Frequency

Season

Alicante

Up to 4 days a week

Year-round

Amsterdam

Up to 4 days a week

Year-round

Antalya

Up to 2 days a week

Summer

Belfast

Up to 7 days a week

Year-round

Bristol

Up to 7 days a week

Year-round

Corfu

Up to 2 days a week

Summer

Dalaman

Up to 2 days a week

Summer

Enfidha

Up to 2 days a week

Year-round

Faro

Up to 3 days a week

Summer

Geneva

Up to 2 days a week

Winter

Lisbon

Up to 2 days a week

Summer

Malaga

Up to 4 days a week

Year-round

Malta

Up to 3 days a week

Summer

Palma de Mallorca

Up to 6 days a week

Summer

Paris

Up to 6 days a week

Year-round

Prague

Up to 2 days a week

Year-round

Reus

Up to 2 days a week

Summer

Rhodes

Up to 2 days a week

Summer

Rome

Up to 2 days a week

Seasonal

Sharm-El-Sheikh

Up to 2 days a week

Year-round

Nice

Up to 3 days a week

Summer

Tenerife

Up to 2 days a week

Year-round

About easyJet

easyJet is one of Europe’s largest airlines offering a unique and winning combination of the best route network connecting Europe's primary airports with great value fares and friendly service.

easyJet flies on more of Europe’s most popular routes than any other airline and carried 100 million passengers in 2025. The airline has over 350 aircraft flying on over 1,200 routes to more than 160 airports across 35 countries. Over 300 million Europeans live within one hour's drive of an easyJet airport.

easyJet aims to be a good corporate citizen, employing people on local contracts in nine countries across Europe in full compliance with national laws and recognising their trade unions. The airline supports several local charities and has a corporate partnership with UNICEF which has raised over £17m for the most vulnerable children since it was established in 2012.

In 2022, easyJet published its roadmap to net zero by 2050. The roadmap, which also features a combination of fleet renewal, operational efficiencies, airspace modernisation, Sustainable Aviation Fuel and carbon removal technology, has set an ambitious interim carbon emissions intensity reduction target of 35% by 2035, validated by the Science-based targets initiative (SBTi). The airline’s ultimate aim is to fully transition its fleet to zero carbon emission technology, which it will achieve through a number of strategic partnerships including with Airbus, Rolls-Royce and GKN Aerospace Solutions. Since 2000, the airline has successfully reduced its carbon emissions per passenger, per kilometre by one-third and is the number 1 ESG rated airline in Europe by Sustainalytics, MSCI and CDP.

Innovation is in easyJet’s DNA – since launching over 30 years ago, easyJet changed the way people fly to the present day where the airline leads the industry in digital and operational innovations to make travel more easy and affordable for its passengers.

In 2023 easyJet was named by TIME as one of the World’s Best Companies and a Leader in Diversity 2024 by The Financial Times

About easyJet holidays:

easyJet holidays, launched in 2019, is a leading package holiday provider operating from the UK, Switzerland, Germany, and France.

In 2025, it took over 3.1 million customers on holiday, providing great value beach and city breaks to more than 10,000 hotels across 100+ destinations in Europe and North Africa. It offers a wide range of holiday types, including its market-leading Luxury Collection with handpicked 5* hotels and expertly curated packages.

ATOL-protected holidays can be booked via its website or 7,000+ travel agents, starting from a £60 deposit per person and including flights, accommodation, 23kg luggage, and transfers on beach breaks. easyJet holidays is ABTA member and offers Ultimate Flexibility with booking changes, a refund guarantee, and Best Price Guarantee.

Crowned Champions of Sustainability, easyJet holidays’ ‘Holiday Better’ strategy focuses on making more sustainable holidays mainstream, minimising tourism impacts, and embedding sustainability in its business. It partners with UN Tourism to develop an ESG framework for tourism, creating tools to measure industry impact on people, planet, and prosperity.

easyJet holidays was also named one of The Sunday Times Best Places to Work in 2023, 2024, and 2025.

About Newcastle Airport

Newcastle Airport is a public private partnership. Seven local authorities own 51% of the Airport company; Durham County Council, Gateshead MB Council, Newcastle City Council, Northumberland Council, North Tyneside Council, South Tyneside Council and Sunderland City Council. 49% is owned by InfraBridge, an infrastructure manager.

Newcastle is a multi-award winning Airport which provides vital connectivity for the North East region to the world and is on track to welcome a record-breaking six million passengers in 2026.

The Airport contributes more than £1bn in GVA annually to the regional economy and around 3,500 people are employed on its site. More than 17,000 jobs are also supported through its supply chain.

The Airport is committed to becoming Net Zero by 2035 and has been recognised as a 'sustainability sector leader'.

For the latest updates from Newcastle Airport, please visit: