• Research amongst visitors reveals that the destination is growing in popularity with young generation

  • 82% of those surveyed would recommend Tel Aviv to a friend

easyJet has today announced that it plans a third route between the UK and Tel Aviv. The airline, which already flies to the city from Manchester Airport and London Luton Airport, will start services from London Gatwick Airport from 1 April 2014. The thrice weekly flights, which will go on sale on 10 December, will operate on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays with fares starting from £90.49*

Hugh Aitken, UK Commercial Manager for easyJet, commented:

""easyJet is delighted to be able to offer new services to Tel Aviv from a third airport in the UK. We expect to carry around 50,000 passengers each year on the new Gatwick service. Combined with our flights from London Luton and Manchester this means we will operate 16 weekly flights to Tel Aviv from the UK.

“Our research, in conjunction with the Jewish News, has helped us better understand why passengers choose Tel Aviv and informed us about what they enjoyed about their trip. The most striking finding was the destination’s growing popularity with young travellers who viewed it as a relaxing, beach destination to visit.

“One of the reasons for launching new flights from London Gatwick is because Tel Aviv’s appeal as a popular leisure destination has been growing. Almost 100,000 passengers travelled from both London Luton and Manchester with easyJet in the past year.""

easyJet started flying to Tel Aviv in November 2009 from London Luton Airport. Across Europe the airline currently serves Tel Aviv from London Luton and Manchester as well as Basel, Geneva and Rome.

The airline has recently announced a Berlin – Tel Aviv route which is the first since the signing of the Open skies agreement between the EU and Israel. In the past twelve months easyJet has flown more than 330,000 passengers into and out of Tel Aviv, 190,000 of those flew to and from the UK and next year this is set to increase further.

easyJet has also increased its flights between Manchester and Tel Aviv from two to three per week between 17 Feb 2014 and 28 April 2014.

easyJet undertook a survey to better understand visitors' impressions of Israel.

The survey revealed:

  • A third of people sampled said it was their first time visiting Israel (33%)

  • 41% of first time visitors were aged 35 or under

  • 75% of visitors were travelling purely for leisure, the remainder were on business or a mixture of both

The most popular activities for travellers were:

  • Visiting tourist destinations and historic sites (69%)

  • Spending time with friends and family (58%)

  • Relaxing, visiting beaches (53%) – The most popular option for those aged 35 or under (70%)

Other key findings revealed:

  • The majority of people visited Israel for a short break of 5.5 days (39%)

  • 57% of people said they had a better impression of Israel following the visit

  • 78% of participants said they would revisit Israel.

  • 40% said they had already recommended visiting Israel to a friend with a further 42% saying they would recommend Israel to a friend

Contact:

For further information please contact the Press Office on 01582 525252 or visit corporate.easyjet.com

Notes to editors on the survey:

  • All participants were first time fliers to Israel with easyJet

  • The survey was conducted with adults in July 2013

  • To ensure the survey was an accurate portrayal of holidaymakers and visitors to Israel anyone who declared they were an Israeli resident was excluded from the results.

*Based on two passengers per booking

About easyJet:

easyJet operates Europe's No. 1 air transport network with a leading presence on Europe's top 100 routes and at Europe's 50 largest airports.

easyJet carries more than 60 million passenger annually, of which 10 million are travelling on business.

easyJet flies over 200 aircraft on more than 600 routes between over 130 airports in 30 countries. More than 300 million Europeans live within one hour's drive of an easyJet airport, more than any other airline.

The airline takes sustainability seriously. easyJet invests in the latest technology, operates efficiently and fills most of its seats which means that an easyJet passenger's carbon footprint is 22% less than a passenger on a traditional airline, flying the same aircraft on the same route.