EasyJet is to start three new routes from Edinburgh in September including the only service between Scotland and Athens. The budget carrier will also start flights to Tenerife and Grenoble, bringing the number of destinations served from Scotland up to 41.
The new routes will be served by the arrival of a new 180-seat Airbus A320 at Edinburgh Airport. The three times weekly service to Athens starts on September 20, with fares leading in at £36.99 one way.
Twice weekly flights to Tenerife start on September 19 with one way fares starting at £36.99. Details of the Grenoble service were not disclosed.
The expansion, together with a new Aberdeen to Gatwick route, means that easyJet will increase capacity this summer to and from Scotland by nearly 9% year-on-year, equivalent to more than three million seats.
The new Airbus A320 will generate more than 60 jobs and increase the airline’s Edinburgh capacity by 300,000 seats a year. One of the carrier’s four Glasgow-based aircraft is being replaced with a larger 180-seat Airbus A320, enabling an additional 40,000 passengers a year to be flown.
Chief executive Carolyn McCall said: “EasyJet is committed to Scotland and this additional capacity will benefit the business community and leisure travellers as well as bringing even more visitors to Scotland.”
Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond said: “The provision of a fifth plane for Edinburgh, a bigger aircraft in Glasgow and the opening up of these new routes will not only create 60 new jobs but will also contribute towards longer-term economic growth.”