Ryanair has unveiled 14 new routes from three London airports – Stansted, Luton and Gatwick – as part of its winter 2021-22 schedule.
It will operate 142 routes in total from the capital to European destinations, creating more than 500 new jobs for pilots, cabin crew and engineers ahead of further growth in summer 2022.
New routes from Luton include Fuerteventura, Gran Canaria, Naples and Shannon; from Stansted they include Helsinki, Stockholm and Zagreb; and there is a new Gatwick-Malaga link.
Chief executive Michael O’Leary told the BBC that Ryanair is expecting a “very strong recovery” in European short-haul flights.
He predicted the budget carrier will fly 10.5 million passengers a month over the next three months as travel recovers to pre-Covid levels.
O’Leary also reiterated his calls for the British government to scrap PCR tests for fully vaccinated arrivals and suspend Air Passenger Duty “to allow airlines and airports quickly recover connectivity, jobs and tourism”.
He said: “APD makes UK airports uncompetitive against lower cost EU airports, which is why Ryanair has added capacity at other EU airports in recent months in the likes of Zagreb, Stockholm, Billund and Riga.
“While Ryanair is committed to its London airports, the lack of government support for aviation and tourism recovery creates further barriers to traffic and growth.”
Ryanair has launched a £19.99 seat sale for travel until the end of November 2021, which must be booked by midnight on Thursday (September 2) on the airline’s website.