Low-cost airline «Jet2.com»

Jet2.com Limited (Jet2.com) is a British low cost airline operating scheduled and charter flights from the UK. Jet2.com is the third largest airline in the UK, behind EasyJet and British Airways. The airline’s main base and headquarters is Leeds-Bradford Airport.Jet2.com Limited is a subsidiary of the Dart Group plc, which operates aviation services. The airline began operations in 1983 under the Channel Express brand. It was then acquired by current Dart Group director Philip Mison. Initially a cargo carrier, the airline also began passenger charter operations in 2001, using Boeing aircraft to serve short- and medium-range international routes.

In 2002, Channel Express established the Jet2.com brand at Leeds-Bradford Airport. Jet2 made its first flight from Leeds Bradford Airport to Amsterdam on February 12, 2003, using a Boeing 737-300. During 2003, 7 new European destinations were opened.

In 2004, a new base was opened at Manchester Airport, where Jet2 began using Terminal 1. At the same time, the airline added Boeing 737 and Boeing 757 aircraft to its fleet and opened a new base at Belfast International Airport.

In 2005, Jet2.com opened a base at Newcastle Airport. Later that year, the airline bought two Boeing 757-200s, enabling it to fly longer distances, carrying more passengers. Jet2 also opened bases in Blackpool and Edinburgh.

In 2006, the airline’s main headquarters was moved from Bournemouth to Leeds, and the company was officially renamed Jet2.com Limited.

In November 2008, Jet2.com changed its slogan from «The North’s Low Cost Airline» to «Friendly Low Fares». The airline then announced the opening of a new base at East Midlands Airport (the first outside the north of England and Scotland). Operation of the base began in May 2010.

During November and December 2008 the airline operated four direct flights from Leeds-Bradford to Newark Airport using Boeing 757-200 aircraft. These flights became seasonal for the Christmas period and were also launched from Newcastle, Glasgow and East Midlands airports.

During 2010, the airline announced the opening of a new base at Glasgow Airport, which opened on March 31, 2011, initially with 9 destinations.

In January 2011, the airline acquired its first Boeing 737-800, which was previously owned by Dutch airline Transavia. The addition takes the niche in Jet2.com’s fleet between the Boeing 737-300 and Boeing 757-200.

Jet2 carried more than 600,000 passengers in its first year and more than 9 million in 2017.

On 17 September 2016, Jet2.com received its first new Boeing 737-800, the first of thirty ordered by the airline in 2015. In the same month, Jet2 announced the opening of bases in Birmingham and Stansted Airport (the airline’s first base in the south of England). In November 2016, Jet2.com opened its new maintenance hangar in Manchester. In December 2016, the order for 30 Boeing 737-800s was expanded to 34. In 2019, the airline received its latest 34th aircraft, which was the 100th in Jet2’s fleet.

Jet2.com carried a record 14.39 million passengers on 82,931 flights in 2019, an increase of more than 18% on the previous year.

Due to the European coronavirus outbreak in 2020, the airline has suspended all flights until 17 June 2020.