The UK’s largest tour operator has announced new flights and holidays from London Gatwick Airport as it expands to 14 bases across the country.
Jet2 will jet off from the UK’s second-largest airport to 29 destinations including mainland Spain, Greece and Turkey.
It’s the first major leisure airline to arrive at Gatwick since 2020.
The fleet of six aircraft at Gatwick will also head to Portugal, the Canary Islands, the Balearic Islands, Malta, Italy, Croatia, Bulgaria and Cyprus amongst other locations.
Holidaymakers won’t have to wait long, as the first flight from the airport is due to depart on March 26, 2026, to Tenerife.
The move is expected to bring over 300 jobs to the local area, including roles such as cabin crew, flight deck, engineering and ground operations.
Five of the airline’s planes at Gatwick will be the brand-new Airbus A321neo aircraft which is known as the most fuel-efficient and sustainable in the industry.
It is capable of reducing fuel consumption and emissions per seat by more than 20 per cent.
Jet2 has announced new flights and holidays from London Gatwick Airport as it expands to 14 bases across the country
Jet2 is already based at London hubs including Stansted and Luton as well as several hubs across the country.
The airline’s CEO, Steve Heapy, described the news as a ‘once in a generation opportunity’.
He said: ‘Today’s announcement represents an incredibly exciting moment for Jet2.
‘For many years, our ambition has been to provide our differentiated, service led, end-to-end product offering from London Gatwick, and we see this as a once in a generation opportunity to accelerate our growth from the UK’s largest beach and city leisure destination airport.’
Mr Heapy explained how much demand there is from their customer base to fly from Gatwick and added, ‘it is fantastic to be able to share that we are here and ready to meet their travelling needs’.
He continued: ‘Time and time again, we have proven that when we bring the Jet2 product to new customers, we delight them, and we subsequently expand our operations on the back of that popularity.
‘We know that bringing the Jet2 formula to London Gatwick will be a game-changer for customers and we are looking forward to a hugely successful future from our newest UK airport base.’
The airline will jet off from the UK’s second-largest airport to 29 destinations including mainland Spain , Greece and Turkey
London Gatwick chief executive Pierre-Hugues expressed how ‘thrilled’ he is at the news.
He said: ‘Jet2’s arrival brings even more choice and flexibility to passengers across the South East and beyond, strengthening London Gatwick’s vision to be the airport for everyone, whatever your journey.
‘It is an exciting time for Jet2 to join London Gatwick following the recent government approval for routine use of our Northern Runway, which will further expand connectivity and economic growth.
‘We are committed to delivering exceptional service and we look forward to supporting Jet2’s growth and success here at London Gatwick.’