Easyjets biggest base is Berlin

easyJet announces major expansion at Berlin

easyJet now largest low-cost airline in Berlin – more routes from Berlin than either London Luton or Stansted

easyJet, Europe’s leading low cost airline, today announced that it is adding three new routes, connecting its Berlin Schoenefeld base with London Gatwick, Milan and Rome, starting on 21 September 2005.

easyJet is already the largest low cost carrier operating from Berlin, and also the fastest growing carrier in Germany, currently employing around 400 people both directly and indirectly in Berlin. The airline is committed to further growth at Berlin and considers Schoenefeld of great strategic importance to its future development.

This announcement brings to 27 the number of easyJet routes from Berlin – this is more than easyJet’s long-established London bases at Luton and Stansted and only one less than the 28 currently offered from London Gatwick.

Berlin is now easyJet’s largest base outside of the UK and with the delivery of the airline’s 100th aircraft at the end of this month, Schoenefeld will account for 10% of easyJet’s total operations. With 70 daily flights, easyJet expects to carry over 3 million passengers to and from Berlin in 2005.

These new routes are in addition to the five already announced that will begin operations from Berlin this summer to Belfast, Maastricht-Aachen, Olbia, Pisa and Valencia.

The twice daily service to Gatwick, will be available from £17.99 one way including taxes and charges (£30.98 return). easyJet will now offer a choice of two London airports with 10 daily services between the UK and German capitals.

The two Italian routes will be available from €26.99 one way including taxes and charges (€53.98 return). There will be a twice daily service to Rome’s Ciampino airport, while Milan will be served initially once a day via the city’s convenient Linate airport.

Seats will be available to book at http://www.easyjet.com a week from today – Wednesday 9 March.

Ed Winter, easyJet Chief Operating Officer commented in Berlin today;

“Today’s announcement is more good news for consumers in Berlin and a further statement of our confidence in the city and its prospects. As well as providing easyJet’s famously cheap fares to over 3 million passengers through Berlin this year, we will be responsible for creating employment for around 3,000 people going forward.

“easyJet is already Berlin’s largest low-cost airline and our unrivalled scale allows us to keep costs down and continue to keep fares low. The future is bright for easyJet in Berlin and Germany as a whole and we look forward to announcing more new routes in the near future giving Berliners an even greater choice.”