EasyJet to open three-aircraft base at Newcastle airport

EasyJet and easyJet holidays have announced plans to open a three-aircraft base at Newcastle airport in March 2026.

The new base, which will become the airline’s 11th in the UK, will see easyJet expand its network from the region with a range of destinations and packages to be unveiled in the coming weeks.

It already serves Alicante, Amsterdam, Geneva, Malaga, Palma de Mallorca, Paris, Bristol and Belfast from Newcastle.

It will also create about 130 jobs for pilots, crew and engineers and support about 1,200 UK jobs in total.

EasyJet said the launch is part of its strategy to "take advantage of key growth opportunities across our network". 

The airline launched a base at Southend in March and at Birmingham International last year, while seven aircraft have joined its UK fleet this summer.

Kenton Jarvis, easyJet chief executive, said: “The UK is an important market for easyJet and we are excited to be opening yet another UK base, in Newcastle, driven by the demand for our flights and package holidays.

“This not only consolidates our position as the UK’s largest leisure airline but will create many skilled jobs and provide critical connectivity for the region, playing an important role in enabling vital economic growth for the UK.”

Nick Jones, chief executive at Newcastle airport, said: "This investment will not only offer greater connectivity with the launch of new routes, but also deliver hundreds of thousands of additional low-cost seats and package holidays for our passengers; a significant boost to the local economy by creating high-quality jobs and attract more inbound visitors to the region.”

Aviation Minister Mike Kane described the launch as "fantastic news for the northeast", adding: "This is exactly the kind of growth we want to see in the sector."