easyJet Eyes London Heathrow Flights

easyJet could be keen on a shake-up of its long-standing strategy throughout the United Kingdom.

The airline’s Chief Executive, Kenton Jarvis, told The Independent that London Heathrow is a target for its operations.

A possible commencement of service through to the busiest airport in the United Kingdom, however, would only come at what the airline describes as the right price.

The airline’s long-standing strategy has been to avoid deploying capacity from this airport, known for its high costs and limited availability; instead, easyJet has prioritised service to other London airports.

For the carrier, though, with support for a third runway expansion at London Heathrow, there is now an opportunity to commence service, thanks to a substantial increase in available landing and takeoff slots.

To date, easyJet looks to base around 100 of its planes in the London area alone, with the aircraft primarily located at London Gatwick; however, Luton and Southend are also of focus in this part of the UK.

With the expectation that more aircraft will be delivered and there’s an appetite to expand operations moving forward, easyJet is undoubtedly open to beginning service to and from London Heathrow. Still, the cost would need to be right.

Historically, for operators such as easyJet and other budget carriers, flying into and out of London Heathrow has not been advised; these companies instead choose smaller airports near capital cities that ultimately have lower costs.

easyJet remains highly optimistic that London Heathrow will be able to put forward an attractive proposition to the airline, which would create an excellent opportunity for the M4 corridor to be served by a low-cost unit, something not currently available.

The easyJet Fleet

easyJet’s fleet consists of only Airbus single-aisle aircraft across three families, and it is almost at 200 aircraft.

The budget company operates 41 active A319-100s at this stage, averaging 17.3 years old; this is the oldest model in the airline’s fleet. Four units are listed as parked based on available data, bringing the total to 45.

The strongest reliance is for the Airbus A320, where commitments to the CEO and NEO exist; the strongest on the A320-200, where 76 aircraft remain active, with the fleet averaging 12.8 years.

Additionally, as part of its renewal efforts, easyJet just reached a fleet of 50 A320neos, with 49 aircraft active and one parked, at an average age of 5 years.

The smallest reliance sits with the A321 family, where 11 delivered Airbus A321neos are present, averaging 5.9 years of age, but in due course, this commitment will increase substantially.

easyJet’s Massive Airbus Order

For an opportunity such as London Heathrow to be deemed viable, there’s a strong requirement for the delivery of new aircraft as much as for securing a good deal.

easyJet therefore purchased many new Airbus single-aisle jets in the backend of 2023, an early Christmas present in 2023 for the budget carrier.

The airline said it would place a firm order for 157 additional A320neo family jets, a move that followed shareholder approval to fuel future growth and support replacement efforts.

We are very pleased to be able to confirm this significant order which not only enables easyJet to replace its older aircraft with more efficient aircraft, a core component of our net zero roadmap, but also provides us ability for disciplined growth, including the significant opportunity that upgauging brings.

Johan Lundgren, CEO of easyJet

As part of this deal, the airline saw an agreement comprising 56 A320neo and 101 A321neo, the latter with its additional capacity being highly beneficial to the airline moving forward as demand increases across its network.

Additionally, the budget company said the order included upsizing an existing commitment from 35 A320neo to the larger A321neo.