easyJet and easyJet holidays continue UK growth with new base at Newcastle Airport opening in spring 2026

• Three aircraft UK base will open next March supporting 1200* jobs and providing more low fares and choice for customers in the North East 
• The move supports easyJet’s continued trajectory of UK growth following recent base openings in London Southend and Birmingham and growth of UK fleet 
• Research from the airline this month suggests holidays are increasing in importance for consumers with 88% of Brits prioritising travel abroad in household budgets 
• easyJet and easyJet holidays set to operate biggest ever summer in the UK with more than 33 million seats and 44 new routes 

easyJet has announced further UK growth with plans to open a three-aircraft base at Newcastle Airport in March 2026, creating around 130 direct jobs for pilots, crew and engineers and supporting around 1200* UK jobs in total.

The base opening will enable easyJet to expand its network from Newcastle and serve an extensive catchment area across the North of England and Southern Scotland, helping to support vital UK connectivity outside of London.

easyJet already offers flights and holidays on eight routes from Newcastle to popular beach and city destinations Alicante, Amsterdam, Geneva, Malaga, Palma de Mallorca, Paris, Bristol and Belfast, and a range of new routes and package holidays for next summer are set to be confirmed in the coming weeks.

The opening of an 11^th UK base is part of easyJet’s strategy to take advantage of key growth opportunities across its network. The additional base strengthens easyJet’s network by enabling the airline to further grow its share of the UK leisure market and drive easyJet holidays’ rapid growth.

The move signals a continued trajectory of growth in the UK for the airline, having already launched a base at London Southend in March and at Birmingham International Airport last year. In addition to this, seven additional aircraft have joined its UK fleet this summer.

The UK is easyJet’s largest market with 56% of all easyJet customers flying to and from UK airports. The airline is set to operate its biggest ever UK flying programme this summer with over 33 million seats – half a million more than last year – and 44 new routes including three new network points, fuelled by strong demand for easyJet’s flights and package holidays.

Kenton Jarvis, easyJet’s CEO, said:

The UK is an important market for easyJet, and we are excited to be opening yet another UK base, in Newcastle, driven by the demand for our flights and package holidays. 

This not only consolidates our position as the UK’s largest leisure airline but will create many skilled jobs and provide critical connectivity for the region, playing an important role in enabling vital economic growth for the UK. 

It’s clear that holidays are increasing in importance and more than ever are a priority for UK consumers. With our unrivalled short-haul network and unique easyJet holidays, we’re able to offer greater choice and value for money, making travel easy for more customers in the North East and beyond - and we look forward to welcoming them onboard.”

Nick Jones, Chief Executive at Newcastle Airport, said:

It is fantastic that easyJet has chosen to open a new base at Newcastle Airport in spring 2026 following such strong demand for flights and package holidays from our passengers.

This investment will not only offer greater connectivity with the launch of new routes, but it will also deliver hundreds of thousands of additional low-cost seats and package holidays for our passengers; a significant boost to the local economy by creating high-quality jobs and attract more inbound visitors to the region. 

We already know the Airport is a key economic driver for the North East, contributing more than £1 billion in Gross Value Added (GVA) each year.

“he new base will further strengthen our long-standing partnership with easyJet and we’re excited about the opportunities it will bring to the Airport and the wider region.”

Aviation Minister Mike Kane, said: 

This is fantastic news for the North East and Newcastle Airport, as one of our important regional airports – not only will it provide good jobs for local people and help boost the economy, it also means families will have more holiday destinations to choose from. 

This is exactly the kind of growth we want to see in the sector, so that the UK becomes one of the best places in the world to fly, and we will continue to support industry to make this happen.”

North East Mayor Kim McGuinness, said:

We are backing Newcastle International Airport to grow jobs and our tourism market, so this announcement is brilliant news on both counts. 

easyJet’s new base will provide more destinations for holidaymakers, create 130 new jobs directly and more than 1,000 jobs at the airport and in the wider economy, and help businesses grow and connect with global markets. 

This expansion further strengthens the Airport’s position as a major gateway to the world in North East England.” 

A survey of 2000 British consumers by the airline earlier this month revealed that holidays continue to increase in importance for UK households, with 89% saying a holiday is one of their most important plans for 2025 and nearly two thirds of us (63%) more likely to travel abroad in 2025 than last year.

91% of British consumers intend to book a holiday for 2025 and 88% are prioritising holidays as their main spend after bills, up from 77% in 2024. To help keep costs down, 74% say they are more likely to travel short haul in 2025.

Over three quarters (77%) plan to go on the same number or more holidays vs last year, with 82% saying they plan to spend the same or increase spend on holidays, up from 73% in 2024.

easyJet is the largest leisure airline in the UK and employs over 14,000 people across England, Scotland and Northern Ireland.  The UK is easyJet’s single largest market, where it currently operates 10 bases at London Gatwick, London Luton, London Southend, Bristol, Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool, Glasgow, Edinburgh and Belfast.

easyJet was founded in the UK, launching operations nearly 30 years ago. Since then, the airline has flown over 800 million customers and is set to operate 100m seats this year. The airline now serves 21 UK airports offering over 500 routes from the UK to over 120 destinations in 30 countries across Europe and North Africa.

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

Additional stakeholder comments

Joe Morris MP, Member of Parliament for Hexham and Newcastle International Airport, said:

It’s fantastic to see this significant investment coming to our constituency, bringing with it opportunities for skilled employment from pilots to engineers and onboard crew. This new base is a vote of confidence in the North East and in the talented workforce we have here. 

It also opens new doors for visitors to our area, allowing more people from across Europe to experience our world-class natural landscapes and rich history that make this region so special. I whole-heartedly welcome this boost for our local economy"

Cllr Tracey Dixon, Leader of South Tyneside Council and Chair of the LA7 Airport shareholders, comprising of the seven local councils, said:

This investment is great news for Newcastle Airport and the North East. 

It highlights the strength, ambition and huge appeal of our region and I look forward to celebrating the launch of the new base alongside the Airport and easyJet next spring.” 

Graeme Ferguson, Head of Airports at InfraBridge, said:

easyJet’s decision to open a new base is a huge vote of confidence in the Airport and North East region.  

Having already served Newcastle for many years, we are delighted to see further investment from easyJet which will enhance connectivity and deliver long-term benefits for both passengers and the local economy for years to come.” 

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.

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 more than 100 million passengers in 2024. The airline has over 340 aircraft flying on over 1,000 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 nearly 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, which launched in 2019 is a leading package holiday provider which operates from the UK, Switzerland, Germany and France. The company took over 2.5 million customers on holiday in 2024.

Named UK & Ireland Travel Company of the Year 2024, it offers great value beach and city holidays to over 8000 hotels, in more than 100 destinations across Europe and North Africa, directly through its website and through over 7000 travel agent partners. The ATOL-protected holidays can be secured with a deposit of just £60 per person, including flights and accommodation, as well as 23kg luggage and transfers on beach breaks. easyJet holidays is a member of ABTA, and all packages are covered by its Ultimate Flexibility, offering freedom to change a booking, a refund guarantee, and best price guarantee.

Winners of the Sustainable Future Award, easyJet holidays’ sustainability strategy, ‘Holiday Better’, focuses on three key pillars – create better holiday choices by making sustainable travel affordable and accessible to everyone; keep our holidays special by maximising the benefits and minimising the negative impacts of travel and tourism, and transform travel for everyone by embedding sustainability into business decisions and behaviours and driving meaningful change in the industry. The tour operator has partnered with UN Tourism to help develop the first environmental, social and governance (ESG) framework for tourism businesses, co-designing a measurement tool that is meaningful and feasible for better monitoring how tourism businesses impact, and depend on, people, planet and prosperity.

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

About Newcastle International 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.  

The Airport was recognised as both the ‘Best in the World’ in the under five million passenger category, and ‘Overall winner’ at the 2024 Routes World Conference. It was also voted ‘Best Airport in Europe’, in the 2 to 5 million passenger category, at the ASQ Awards for providing exceptional customer service and ‘UK and Ireland Airport of the Year’ at the 2024 Travel Industry Awards. 

The Airport contributes more than £1bn in GVA annually to the regional economy and around 3,200 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 the year 2035 and has been recognised as a ’sustainability sector leader’. 

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