Jet2 confirms launch of 16 routes from Bournemouth Airport as it expands into South of England

A Jet2 plane. Credit: PA

Jet2 has announced it will fly from a southern airport for the first time in its history.

The airline currently flies from airports across the country, but has never flown from an airport south of London.

Today, Tuesday 26 March, Jet2 confirmed it will make Bournemouth Airport its 12th base, and will launch 16 routes from April 2025.

Jet2 is currently the UK's third-biggest airline and largest tour operator in the country, and said the move was to match demand from the South of England.

The decision will support independent travel agents across the region, the company said, who have been asking the airline to fly from the south for 'years'.

It will also mean Bournemouth Airport needs to be expanded to accommodate hundreds of thousands more passengers each year.

Watch: Andrew Bell, CEO of Regional and City Airports, tells ITV Meridian about what will need to change at Bournemouth Airport.

Where will Jet2 fly to from Bournemouth? The full list:

  • Tenerife – up to three weekly services

  • Fuerteventura – weekly services (Wednesdays) – exclusive from Bournemouth Airport

  • Gran Canaria – weekly services (Sundays)

  • Lanzarote – up to two weekly services (Mondays, Fridays)

  • Alicante – up to two weekly services (Tuesdays, Saturdays)

  • Palma (Majorca) – up to four weekly services (Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays)

  • Ibiza - up to two weekly services (Thursdays, Sundays)

  • Menorca – weekly services (Sundays)

  • Antalya – up to two weekly services (Wednesdays, Saturdays)

  • Dalaman – up to two weekly services (Thursdays, Sundays)

  • Faro (Algarve) – up to two weekly services (Mondays, Fridays)

  • Madeira – weekly services (Thursdays) – exclusive from Bournemouth Airport.

  • Crete (Heraklion) – weekly services (Tuesdays)

  • Corfu – weekly services (Wednesdays)

  • Rhodes – weekly services (Tuesdays)

  • Zante – weekly services (Thursdays)

From 2025 Jet2 will operate up to 27 weekly flights to various destinations across Europe.

The inaugural flight from the airport will depart to Tenerife on 1st April, the airline confirmed.

More than 100 jobs will be created by the decision to create a Jet2 base in Bournemouth, with positions available in various departments.

The company said it will recruit flight deck, cabin crew, engineering, and ground operations in the coming months.

Bournemouth Airport Credit: ITV Meridian

Steve Heapy, CEO of Jet2 and Jet2holidays said: “We know that customers and independent travel agents have been asking us for a long time to make this move, so we are absolutely delighted to be announcing today that Bournemouth Airport will become our 12th UK base airport.

“This latest expansion is a further demonstration of our confidence, and it reflects our long-term strategy to be the UK's leading and best leisure travel business. We know that customers want to be properly looked after throughout their holiday experience, and we are making a significant investment in the region including the creation of over 100 new jobs to do exactly that.

From today, we are counting down to the start of operations from Bournemouth Airport when we can delight customers, just as we have with millions of other customers from across the UK for so many years.”

Andrew Bell, CEO of RCA, Regional and City Airports, who own Bournemouth Airport, said: “This is fantastic news for passengers and represents a huge vote of confidence in Bournemouth Airport by Jet2 and Jet2holidays, by choosing Bournemouth as their new base airport in what is a major expansion of their operations into the south of England. It will create new employment locally, add 16 fabulous new destinations from Bournemouth, up to 27 extra flights a week and will see an estimated additional 300,000 passengers using their local airport.”

“Together with our work on route development; our significant recent investments in new facilities, equipment, and staff to build capacity; this exciting partnership with Jet2 and Jet2holidays represents a step change in establishing Bournemouth Airport as a nationally significant regional hub for passenger air operations.”

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