EasyJet says 10-year Luton deal will see passengers double
EasyJet’s said it expects to carry 20 per cent more passengers next year, having secured more space at Luton airport, as part of a 10-year deal.
The low-cost airline added that it’ll double the number of passengers it flies from the airport, where it's headquartered, over the next decade, to more than 9m a year.
The deal, which has been made despite expansion plans for the airport having not yet been finalised, could also see up to 2,500 jobs created in the area.
The £100m investment strategy to expand Luton’s capacity to 18m passengers a year involves extending its terminal and improving road access, along with re-branding. The plans are currently being assessed by the Department for Communities and Local Government.
Carolyn McCall, the chief executive of EasyJet, has said that how quickly the company expands is in part reliant on planning approval to improve the airport.
Last year, Luton was taken over by Aena, the Spanish airports authority. The €502m deal included a pledge to redevelop the airport to up passenger numbers.
But the FT has reported, citing sources familiar with the matter, that Luton’s no longer a priority for Aena, because of questions over its future.