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United States Jet2 boss rules out Gatwick launch and says no more new bases after Bournemouth
Chief executive Steve Heapy told TTG on Tuesday (26 March) the south coast airport filled a gap for the airline and operator that was now closed.
"If you look at our route network, a gap is certainly the south coast – we have Bristol in the south-west and Stansted in the east and there is a big catchment [around Bournemouth]."
Jet2 names Bournemouth as 12th UK base
Bournemouth airport’s owners, Regional and City Airports, also owns Exeter and Norwich airports, but Heapy said they were not under consideration.
“We have no plans for any more bases,” he confirmed. Asked if he would nevertheless consider operating from Gatwick, he replied: “No.”
Heapy said Jet2 would instead concentrate on developing Bournemouth, which will have 150,000 outbound passengers, and its other new base Liverpool, which he said would be “pretty much double that” when it opens on Thursday (28 March).
Jet2’s ambition is to double in size in the next three to four years and has 146 Airbus aircraft on order. Heapy said six Airbus A321s had now been delivered, which carry more passengers than the aircraft they replace.
The new orders will partly replace retired aircraft and partly grow the Jet2 network, Heapy confirmed. “There is more capacity going into other bases," he contined. "It’s not just about Liverpool and Bournemouth. It’s quite an exciting time.”
‘Encouraging demand’
At Bournemouth, there is overlap with Ryanair and Tui, with Ryanair offering eight routes to Spain among 20 destinations. However, Heapy said: “If you look at demand for flights and holidays, there is room for extra capacity on some of these routes."
He added he was keen to meet agents in the Bournemouth catchment area. “There are a lot of agents here that are very keen to work with us and we look forward to continuing to work with Hays Travel.”
