easyJet, Europe’s leading airline, today celebrated the opening of its new base at Francisco de Sá Carneiro Airport Porto. Three new UK routes from Manchester, Bristol and London Luton Airports to the new Porto base will launch this summer. Carolyn McCall, Chief Executive of easyJet, cut the inaugural ribbon during today’s official ceremony at the new Porto base in the presence of Minister of Finance, Maria Luís Albuquerque, Secretary of State for Infrastructures, Transport and Communication, Sérgio Silva Monteiro, Secretary of State for Tourism, Adolfo Mesquita Nunes, VINCI’s President Nicolas Notebaert.Flights from Bristol to Porto will commence on 19 April and operate on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays. Fares start from £22.99* per person. Manchester flights to Porto will launch on 24 May with fares starting from £28.99* per person and London Luton flights to Porto will commence on 26 April. Fares start from £42.99* per person. Carolyn McCall, Chief Executive of easyJet, said:“Portugal is a really important market for easyJet. We have been flying to and from Portugal  for 18 years and today represents another important milestone in our history.”  “We are really pleased to demonstrate our long-term commitment to Portugal with the opening of our second Portuguese base, following the launch of our Lisbon base in 2012.”  “Establishing a base in Porto will create 80 new easyJet jobs, fully under Portuguese labour contracts, and support many more new jobs at the airport and in the surrounding region.  As importantly it will enable easyJet to increase the region’s connectivity with the rest of Europe and to make travel easy and affordable for those who wish to fly to and from this wonderful city.”Maria Luís Albuquerque, Portugal Minister of Finance, said:  “The opening of an easyJet base in Porto is yet another sign that the Portuguese economy is steadily recovering and becoming an increasingly attractive destination for investment. The establishment of new routes will certainly favour the tourism sector, but also facilitate business relations between Portugal and Europe, thus contributing to a deeper integration. Most importantly, this new base will lead to job creation, which is the ultimate goal of our country’s ongoing efforts.”Porto is the 25th base of easyJet’s network and the airline will also inaugurate its 26th base in Amsterdam on March 31. easyJet started its operations in Portugal in 1999 and flies now to 48 destinations in Europe being the third largest airline in the country with 12% market share and more than 4 million passengers carried in 2014. easyJet flies to Faro, Funchal, Porto and Lisbon and from 29 March a service will start connecting the capital with Ponta Delgada in Azores. ENDSFor further information please contact the easyJet Press Office on 01582 525252 or visit www.easyJet.com*(one-way, including taxes and based on 2 people on the same booking)About easyJet:easyJet is Europe’s leading airline offering a unique and winning combination of the best route network connecting Europe's primary airports, with great value fares and friendly service.easyJet flies on more of Europe’s most popular routes than any other airline. easyJet carries over 65 million passengers annually, of which more than 12 million are travelling on business. easyJet flies over 220 aircraft on more than 700 routes to over 130 airports across 32 countries. More than 300 million Europeans live within one hour's drive of an easyJet airport.. easyJet aims to be a good corporate citizen, employing people on local contracts in seven countries across Europe in full compliance with national laws and recognising their trade unions.  The airline supports a number of local charities and also has a corporate partnership with UNICEF which has raised over £4m for the most vulnerable children since it was established in 2012.  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.Innovation is in easyJet’s DNA – from our launch almost 20 years ago when we changed the way people fly to the present day where we lead the industry in digital, web, engineering and operational innovations to make travel more easy and affordable for our passengers.