Low cost airline easyJet says 11,000 people have applied for 1,500 cabin crew vacancies for next summer with a number likely to be based at Liverpool. Tony McDonough reports

Around 11,000 people have already applied for 1,500 cabin crew vacancies at easyJet with the low-cost airline looking to increase capacity next summer.

It says 1,100 of the new jobs will be based in the UK with the rest spread around its European bases. A number are likely to be based out of Liverpool John Lennon Airport from where the carrier operates 25 routes.

With sufficient pilots already in place to support operations for summer 2022, the airline is now looking to reopen its cadet pipeline, starting with taking on 150 newly-qualified cadet pilots in the UK who had originally been due to join the airline at the beginning of the pandemic.

They will now join between January and April 2022. In addition to this, the airline is planning to begin recruitment in the coming weeks for experienced Airbus pilots, to be based in Europe.

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Johan Lundgren, easyJet chief executive, said: “With the recovery under way, we are ready and able to seize opportunities and our seasonal crew are integral to this. As the largest UK airline, we are proud to employ thousands of people across the country, as well as in Europe.

“We have been delighted with the overwhelming response so far with more than 11,000 applicants for the 1,500 crew roles. We are particularly pleased that, in line with our commitment to them, we will see many cadet pilots finally join us after they were delayed by the onset of the pandemic.

“We will continue to take decisive action to capture additional opportunities alongside our planned organic growth. We look forward to bringing these crew onboard with us for summer, so we can offer the greatest choice and best value across our unrivalled European network, for leisure and business customers alike.”