"Newcastle airport to lure Scots business with cheap flights"

[Scottie]

Newcastle airport to lure Scots business with cheap flights

ALASTAIR DALTON
TRANSPORT CORRESPONDENT


THE fast-expanding Newcastle airport is to challenge Edinburgh for passengers with a major expansion of no-frills routes that is expected to double bookings from Scotland.

The English airport hopes to lure more Scots this summer as EasyJet boosts European routes from there to nine, compared to just one from Edinburgh........

.......Samantha Day, a spokeswoman for EasyJet, said it was committed to its existing routes in Scotland but Newcastle offered lower costs. "The opportunities for expanding international routes out of Edinburgh are not as attractive as Newcastle......" she said.



http://business.scotsman.com/transport.cfm?id=397042004

There's the answer why easyJet doesn't operate more direct routes out of Scotland.

[Flightmapping]

But "Edinburgh Newcastle" is still much further from EDI than PIK is. I would guess their domestic routes do well through EDI & GLA, and would suffer if they had to go to "out of the way" PIK, but could EZY end up operating from both GLA airports - as they already have hubs at three locations in London?

[Scottie]

I doubt it as NCL is only 20 miles further from EDI than PIK is.

NCL has a large catchment area in the NE and taps into the borders of Scotland and EDI.

The same cannot be said of PIK, so I doubt PIK will become an easyJet hub.

[simonwa]

If easyjet want NCL to be such a success, why don't they introduce more routes? The northeast is crying out for flights European destinations, as is reflected in the huge interest in easyjet's first year of service. Probably though has something to do with the airport not being able to handle any more aircraft during the summer.

[BahrainLad]

How many more do you want!?

Alicante
Barcelona
Berlin
Bristol
Belfast
Copenhagen
London Stansted
Malaga
Nice
Palma
Paris
Prague

[johnwalton]

Madrid, Faro, Rome, Milan, Geneva?

[MEFLYBE]

There must be a possibility in the future for more EZY flights from NCL:

Athens
Faro
Geneva
Ibiza
London LGW
London LTN
Madrid
Milan LIN
Munich
Naples
Rome
Venice

Also, I wonder how BUD and LJU will fare for EZY, if BUD gets the PRG effect, it could well open up to more UK flights. Also, LJU is beautiful, maybe weekend flights could work from NCL?

Regards

Mike

[simonwa]

I agree - there are loads more destinations that could be offered from NCL.

Most other easyjet bases offer Amsterdam and Geneva, as well as Italian destinations (which are currently under-served from NCL).

Good holiday routes would include Faro, Athens, and Italy.
While leisure breaks include Madrid, Amsterdam, Munich.
Good business routes include other London bases and Geneva.