Airline and travel operator Jet2 says demand for new routes out of Liverpool John Lennon Airport has been ‘phenomenal’, as the first flights take off, with 2025 capacity to be raised by 28%. Tony McDonough reports
Jet2 is reporting ‘phenomenal’ demand from passengers for its 20-plus routes out of Liverpool John Lennon Airport (LJLA), the first of which took off on Thursday.
At 8am on Thursday morning the first fully-booked flight to Tenerife took off from LJLA. This was followed by another full service to Lanzarote. This is the first time Leed-based Jet2 has operated from Liverpool.
In May 2023 it was revealed that Jet2.com and Jet2holidays would be flying from LJLA for the first time ever with 20 European routes for the summer season. Later in the year it revealed it would also offer a winter 2024 schedule of eight destinations.
Starting this week Jet2 will operate up to 54 weekly flights, including 12 weekly flights to both the Canary Islands and the Balearic Islands. The second flight on Thursday will take off at 10am heading for Lanzarote.
A fleet of four aircraft will fly customers to a wide choice of destinations across mainland Spain, the Canary Islands, the Balearic Islands, Greece, Turkey, Bulgaria, Portugal, Madeira and Cyprus. A total of 565,000 seats are on sale for the summer season.
As a result of the huge demand for flights Jet2 has already added more routes and aircraft to their programme for summer 2025 with three extra destinations to Malaga, Malta and Reus and more than 730,000 seats on sale.
Steve Heapy, chief executive of Jet2.com and Jet2holidays, said: “We have got off to a flying start in every sense at Liverpool John Lennon Airport and are delighted to see our first flights take off today from our 11th UK airport.
“The reaction we have received from customers and independent travel agents since going on sale from Liverpool has been truly phenomenal, and we look forward to continuing to enjoy enormous success and growth at our newest airport.”
In February LBN reported that in 2023 LJLA had seen passenger numbers surge 20% above 4m for the first time since the pandemic with the airport on track to hit 5m passengers this year thanks to the launch of Jet2.
LJLA chief executive John Irving said: “Today is an important milestone in the airport’s history. Following the announcement last May a lot of work has been going on to make sure that our passengers continue to enjoy our airport experience.
“Customers and travel agents from across the region have been asking to see Jet2.com and Jet2holidays commence flights from Liverpool for some time.
“It’s great to see the first passengers jet off from here today, with exciting further growth planned, following more recent commitments for their winter and summer 2025 holiday programmes.”
To mark the LJLA launch hundreds of holidaymakers were treated to a VIP experience, including a red-carpet welcome and personalised gifts. As customers waited to board the first flight, a Beatles tribute band called The Beatles for Sale entertained them.
One lucky customer received a seven-night family holiday to Tenerife, and the first 10 holidaymakers to check-in at the airport were surprised with a pair of Jet2.com flight vouchers.