EasyJet plc (styled as easyJet) is a British low-cost airline and package holiday[5][6] multinational group headquartered at London Luton Airport.[7] It operates domestic and international scheduled services on 927 routes in more than 34 countries via its affiliate airlines EasyJet UK, EasyJet Switzerland and EasyJet Europe. It also operates as a package holiday provider to more than 100 destinations across Europe and North Africa[8] through its subsidiary EasyJet Holidays Limited.[9] The company employs around 13,000 people, based throughout Europe but mainly in the UK.[10] EasyJet plc is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index.[11]
Since its establishment in 1995, EasyJet has expanded through a combination of acquisitions,[12][13] and base openings, driven by consumer demand for low-cost air travel. The group, along with associate companies EasyJet UK, EasyJet Europe and EasyJet Switzerland, operates 321 aircraft. It has 29 bases across Europe, with the largest being London Gatwick Airport.[14] In 2022, the airline carried more than 69.7 million passengers,[15] making it the second largest budget airline in Europe by number of passengers carried, only behind Ryanair.[16]
EasyJet was featured in the television series Airline, broadcast on ITV (1998–2007), which followed the airline's operations in London Luton and later at other bases. Its pilot training scheme was the subject of another ITV television series, EasyJet: Inside the Cockpit, which premiered in August 2017.[17]
History
Origins and formation
EasyJet has its roots in the business activity of Greek-Cypriot Stelios Haji-Ioannou, who reportedly gained an interest in the aviation business after being approached as a potential investor in Virgin Atlantic's Greek franchisee. Recognising a vacant niche in the market, Stelios decided to examine the prospects for launching his airline, having secured a commitment of a £5 million loan from his father.[18] While studying various business models in the industry, Stelios took a significant interest in the American operator Southwest Airlines, which had successfully adopted the practice of price elasticity to be competitive with traditionally cheaper buses and attract customers that would not normally have considered air travel. This principle became a cornerstone of EasyJet's operations.[18][19]
Senior leadership
- Chairman: Sir Stephen Hester (since December 2021)[47]
- Chief Executive: Kenton Jarvis (since January 2025)[48]
- Chief Financial Officer: Jan De Raeymaeker (since October 2024)[49]
Former chairmen
- 1) Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou (1995–2002)[50]
Corporate affairs
Business strategy
EasyJet, like Ryanair, uses a business model pioneered by Southwest Airlines. Both airlines have adapted this model for the European market through further cost-cutting measures, such as not selling connecting flights or providing complimentary snacks on board. The key points of this business model are high aircraft utilisation, quick turnaround times, charging for extras (such as priority boarding, holding baggage, and food) and keeping operating costs low.[56]
Initially, EasyJet's employment strategy was to maintain control with minimal union involvement. During the 2000s, the airline adopted a different approach, deciding to make accommodations for unions.[29]
Originally, EasyJet did not allocate seats so passengers took any available seats, with the option to pay for "Speedy Boarding", which allowed them to be first onto the aircraft. Since 2012, all passengers are allocated numbered seats before boarding commences, as it was found that this does not slow down boarding times and could earn more revenue than Speedy Boarding.
Destinations
As of January 2024, EasyJet serves 183 destinations.[120]
Codeshare agreements
In 2013, EasyJet entered a commercial agreement with Transaero to set up a codeshare agreement,[122][123] whereby Transaero acquired the right to sell a certain number of seats on EasyJet's Moscow (Domodedovo) – London (Gatwick) route. This was the first codeshare agreement for EasyJet; it was terminated when Transaero Airlines ceased to operate in October 2015.[124] Citing diminishing demand on the route, EasyJet ceased all flights to Moscow in March 2016.[125]
EasyJet has a reward miles sharing agreement with Emirates.[126]
Incidents
- On 15 September 2006, EasyJet Flight 6074, an Airbus A319-111, registered as G-EZAC, suffered a major electrical failure, rendering the radio, autopilot, TCAS, and electronic flight instrument system inoperable, among other critical systems. This nearly caused a mid-air collision with another aircraft, an American Airlines Boeing 777, which diverted from its collision course with fewer than 30 seconds to spare. The A319's pilots continued their flight straight to Bristol out of fear of being shot down, since the failure knocked out their transponder. This made it impossible for the aircraft to be tracked by air traffic control, which potentially would have forced the assumption that it had been hijacked were it to deviate from its initially approved flight path without clearance.[136][137]
Fleet
Current fleet
EasyJet plc's fleet consists entirely of Airbus A320 family aircraft. As of April 2025, the group operates the following aircraft:[138]
Fleet strategy and aircraft orders
In common with other low-cost carriers, EasyJet has a strategy of operating just one aircraft type. Initially, it used Boeing 737 aircraft exclusively, but in October 2002, it ordered 120 Airbus A319 aircraft, plus 120 options.[22][142] Since then, all orders have been from the Airbus A320 family, and the Boeing aircraft have been phased out. With the acquisition of GB Airways
Services
Booking
Initially, booking was by telephone only; as a means of promoting this, all of the airline's aircraft were painted with the booking telephone number. There is no incentive for travel agents to book flights on the airline because it does not pay commissions, which is an industry-standard practice for low-cost carriers.[22]
In December 1997, one of EasyJet's design and advertising agencies suggested to Stelios Haji-Ioannou that he should consider trialling a website for direct bookings. Haji-Ioannou's reply was: "The Internet is for nerds, it will never make money for my business!" Other executives of the airline saw the potential and approved a website trial involving putting a different telephone reservation number on the website to track success. Once Haji-Ioannou saw the results, he changed his mind and an e-commerce website capable of offering real-time online booking went live in April 1998; this was the first such website for a low-cost carrier in Europe.[22][150][151]
Further reading
- Jones L., Easyjet, Aurum Press, 2005
External links
References
- Board of Directors EasyJet, retrieved 18 March 2022^
- Annual Results 2025 EasyJet, retrieved 23 December 2025^
- easyJet NS26 Morocco Network Expansion AeroRoutes, retrieved 18 October 2025^