EasyJet Celebrates 15 Years at Bristol Airport by Launching New Routes to Bulgaria and Two Other Destinations
Budget airline easyJet are celebrating their 15th anniversary at Bristol Airport by announcing three new routes from Bristol Airport.
The airliner's base in North Somerset is its biggest outside London and it employs 650 people in Bristol.
Now the budget airline will be launching three new routes to Larnaka, in Cyprus; Sofia, in Bulgaria; and Östersund, in Sweden, by the end of the year.
EasyJet will fly twice a week (year round) to Larnaka from October 28 and twice a week to Sofia during winter from December 8.
Flights during winter to Östersund will take place once a week from December 9.
Ali Gayward, easyJet UK Country Manager, says the airline has had a “significant” impact on the area's economy in the last 15 years.
She said: “We have carried over 53 million people since being in Bristol. This year we will carry five million and next year we expect to carry 5.2 million.
“That’s not just domestic and holiday destinations, there are also a really broad range of cities which brings in a lot of tourists into the region - from Spain and Italy.
“Bristol Airport is the gateway and we provide the link for people coming into and leaving the region to do their business too. It’s really significant.”
The airline now has 15 aircrafts based at Bristol Airport which is in talks with easyJet about further development to allow more planes to be based at the site.
Dave Lees, Bristol Airport CEO, says easyJet’s success in Bristol has been “a success for the airport too”.
He added: “We work together. EasyJet have been very supportive of the future development of the airport.
“We are looking for future new routes across Europe over the next few years and are working with easyJet on their medium-term plans for the airport which will see further growth.”
There will be 69 easyJet routes by the end of the year.