EasyJet has announced plans to significantly expand its operations in Lisbon later this year.
The carrier will base an additional three Airbus A321neo aircraft in the Portuguse capital, expanding its based fleet there to nine and its Portuguese fleet to 19.
This will allow easyJet to put more than half a million extra seats on sale to Lisbon this winter and launch a new twice-weekly Birmingham route. Fares will go on sale on 15 August.
It follows the allocation by the European Commission of 18 new daily slots at Lisbon to easyJet.
The additional based aircraft will allow easyJet to launch 21 new routes and increase frequencies to eight countries.
As a result, easyJet claims it will become the second largest carrier at Lisbon by capacity, and the largest carrier between the UK and Portugal
In total, easyJet’s Lisbon network will comprise 32 routes – 30 international and two domestic.
Jose Lopes, easyJet country manager for Portugal, said: "We are extremely glad to unveil part of easyJet’s new network at Lisbon airport that will start operating later in 2022 and which will turn easyJet into the second largest carrier operating at Lisbon airport.
"We are particularly happy to be bringing the A321neo to Lisbon, which will contribute to making our operations more sustainable."
Lopes said despite the challenging aviation operating environment of the past two years, easyJet "never stopped investing in Portugal" opening a new base in Faro last year and launching new routes from Lisbon and Porto.
"By the end of the year, we will have 19 aircraft based in Portugal which will enable us to carry more than 10 million passengers every year, contributing significantly to the connectivity of the country and playing a key role in supporting the national economy," Lopes added.
This winter, easyJet will offer 1.75 million seats to and from Lisbon, an increase of more than 60% on winter 2021/22.
It said compared with pre-pandemic levels, easyJet capacity in Portugal had grown by 51% – up 61% in Lisbon, 69% in Porto, 66% in Funchal and 2% in Faro. It has also started to operate to Porto Santo.
The new based aircraft will create around 130 new direct jobs in Portugal, where easyJet already employs more than 500 people.
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