East Midlands to close and Luton to be reduced by 20% easyJet today announced proposals to reduce its flying programme at Luton by 20% and to close its East Midlands base. The airline will move this capacity to more profitable airports and expects that most of the aircraft will be redeployed to continental European bases. easyJet is committed to developing Europe’s premier short haul network and its overall growth plans remain unchanged at around 7.5% per year over the medium term. The proposals to reduce flying at Luton are a function of the airport’s failure to recognise the commercial realities of the recession and that easyJet has opportunities to move capacity to more attractive locations elsewhere in its network as weaker competitors retrench in today’s tough climate. Airport costs at Luton have risen by 25% over the past three years which makes the base no longer competitive. easyJet has been in protracted negotiation with Abertis, the Spanish operator of Luton and its owner Luton Borough Council, which is understood to receive over half of the airport charges. These negotiations have broken down leaving easyJet no alternative but to reallocate parts of its flying programme.
easyJet announces network redeployments