London Luton welcomes eight new routes as growth in passenger numbers continues

London Luton is opening up eight new routes in the space of a fortnight as passenger numbers continue to grow.  The Airport recorded an 8.7% increase in passengers in September, compared to the same month last year, and is on track for 2014 to be the busiest in its 76 year history. The  routes include six with major partner easyJet which form part of its new ten-year deal with London Luton, announced in March, the agreement will see the airline grow capacity at London Luton by 20% over the next year.  

easyJet is introducing flights to Rome and Naples in the last week of October; Munich, Copenhagen and Lyon on 3rd November; and Basel on 7th November.  Copenhagen represents the first ever scheduled route to Denmark from London Luton.

Wizz Air, the largest low cost airline in Central and Eastern Europe, also introduced new routes to Poprad, Slovakia on 26th October and Szczecin, Poland on 27th October. 

London Luton recently received planning consent for a £100m redevelopment of the Airport which will increase annual passenger capacity from 12 million to 18 million per year by 2026.   The plans include an expanded and modernised terminal building, better rail and other surface transport links and improvements to the passenger experience, including additional screening lanes to reduce waiting times.  

The changes are forecast to increase the Airport’s annual economic impact by £283m to £1.2bn per annum and create over 5,000 new jobs.

Simon Harley, Business Development Manager, London Luton Airport, said:  “The new routes mean we’re giving more choice to more passengers than ever before and cements our position as a leading airport serving passengers from London to the East Midlands.  Our strategy to drive passenger numbers through new routes and new carriers is paying off and gives us a great platform from which to launch our ambitious redevelopment programme.”

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Notes to Editors:

London Luton Airport is one of the UK’s largest airports and carried 9.7 million passengers in 2013. The Airport directly and indirectly employs over 600 and 8,000 staff respectively and is a key economic driver for the region.  

easyJet, Wizz Air, Ryanair, Monarch, Thomson, EL AL, Atlasjet, Blue Air, and TAROM operate from the airport, departing to over 100 destinations including services to Europe, Africa, and Asia, with onward connections to Mumbai, Hong Kong, Johannesburg, Beijing and Bangkok via Tel Aviv.