Jet2.com has brought its in-flight retail distribution in-house following supplier disruption last summer with the opening of a multi-million pound retail operations centre.
The 150,000 square foot facility in Middlewich, Cheshire, will enable the airline to stock, manage and distribute millions of in-flight retail products for passengers.
The first centre of its kind in the UK aviation industry has been approved by the Civil Aviation Authority and had led to the creation of 300 new jobs with staff working across two shifts to ensure it supports the airline’s flying programme around the clock.
Items being managed include drinks and non-perishable food that can either be pre-ordered or which feature in the airline’s in-flight menu, as well as products that can be bought on board, such as fragrances, beauty products, gifts and duty-free.
The carrier expects that more than 25 million items will flow through the centre to be loaded onto its growing fleet of aircraft in a typical year.
The company has promoted John Davis to the new position of director of retail to lead this area of the business reporting to commercial and retail director Adam Mulroy.
Chief executive Steve Heapy said: “Industry-leading customer service is a critical driver of our continued success, so we are absolutely delighted to be applying that to our in-flight retail operation.
“The opening of this multi-million pound retail operations centre is a first for UK aviation and we know that this pioneering step will provide the very best service for our customers.”
He added: “This innovation represents a material investment in our operation and an enormous amount of work has gone into developing a world-class and industry-leading facility.
“The opening has created hundreds of new jobs too, and we are thrilled to welcome our new colleagues and look forward to them playing a critical role as we continue to succeed and grow.”