Jet2 has announced it will launch flights and holidays from London Gatwick Airport next year.
The UK’s largest tour operator said it had secured slots for six jets “following the release of additional capacity” by the UK’s second-busiest airport.
The package holiday firm will initially offer flights from Gatwick to 29 “sunshine destinations” including Spain, Greece, Turkey, Portugal and Italy.
Its first Gatwick flight will depart for Tenerife in Spain on 26 March next year.
Steve Heapy, chief executive of Jet2, called the development a “once-in-a-generation opportunity” for the company.
He said: “Today’s announcement represents an incredibly exciting moment for Jet2.
“For many years, our ambition has been to provide our differentiated, service-led, end-to-end product offering from London Gatwick, and we see this as a once-in-a-generation opportunity to accelerate our growth from the UK’s largest beach and city leisure destination airport.
“We know all too well how much demand there is among customers and independent travel agents for us to operate our award-winning flights and holidays from London Gatwick, so it is fantastic to be able to share that we are here and ready to meet their travelling needs.”
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Jet2 will have five Airbus A321neo planes based at the West Sussex airport, with another aircraft positioned overseas.
The move will make Gatwick the 14th UK airport with a Jet2 base.
It is also expected to create more than 300 new jobs in the region around Gatwick, with pilots, engineers, and cabin crew needed, as well as hundreds of indirect jobs expected to be generated.
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Gatwick chief executive Pierre-Hugues Schmit said it was “an exciting time for Jet2 to join London Gatwick”, saying the recent government approval for routine use of the airport’s northern runway will “further expand connectivity and economic growth”.
