'That's it for now,' says Jet2 chief Steve Heapy after surprise Luton base reveal

“This really is it for some time now," Heapy insisted. "We need to let Bournemouth and Liverpool settle.” He once again ruled out a move to Gatwick, but hinted there could be further expansion. “You never know,” he said.

Jet2.com has 146 aircraft on order. Heapy denied this was too many. “Not at all,” he said, adding: “We have lots of opportunities. We will see how demand is and allocate capacity accordingly.”

Hays Travel praise and EasyJet overlap

The Luton announcement was welcomed by Hays Travel owner and chair Dame Irene Hays, who said it meant the agency would change its retail strategy for Luton’s catchment area.

"We are absolutely delighted Jet2 has added Luton to its list of airports as it creates a huge opportunity not just for us but for all agents," said Dame Irene, speaking to TTG at the Hays Travel retail conference in Antalya.

"Lots of people don’t want to travel from Gatwick, Heathrow or Stansted so it is a really attractive proposition and as a result we will be reviewing our investment in shops in the region as soon as we get back.”

Heapy said Luton was a constrained airport and the operator had only been able to secure slots for two aircraft, adding several of the routes announced would be flown by aircraft from other bases.

He added it was “inevitable” there would be overlap with easyJet’s extensive Luton network, but said three routes – Verona, Girona and Madeira – would be Jet2 exclusives.

He characterised the current market conditions as being “okay”. “It’s pretty similar to the summer, it’s not bad. I think there was a bit of nervousness around the Budget, but now that’s out of the way people will hopefully book holidays."