• Two aircraft based to be in Southern Italy’s largest city offering five new routes to Hamburg, Brussels, Catania, Mykonos and Corfu

  • Up to 2m passengers expected in the first year of operation

easyJet, the UK’s largest airline, has announced today its expansion plans in Italy with the opening of a base in Naples. The new base, easyJet’s third in Italy and 24th in its European network, will be operational from spring 2014. 

Having first started operations in Naples in 2000, easyJet now carries more passengers than any other airline into and out of Naples. In the last twelve months the airline has flown 1.6 million passengers. From spring, the two aircraft based in Naples will enable easyJet to fly more than an additional 350,000 passengers meaning that annual passenger numbers will reach almost two million. 

Mike Campbell, easyJet Europe Director, stated: 

“Italy is a key market for easyJet where it has regularly invested and we are delighted to announce that Naples becomes our 3rd Italian base and in Italy’s third largest city.  

“Naples is a top European destination both for tourism - the city being listed a World Heritage Site by UNESCO - and for business with a wide network of more than 260,000 companies and 2.6 million business travellers from Naples every year.”

easyJet will fly 20 routes from the base, five of those will be newly introduced in Spring 2014, and will offer 130 flights a week at peak season from Naples. The airline will fly additional frequencies on key routes such as London Gatwick with two daily flights. easyJet is also now offering “Fast Track” security in Naples for its FLEXIfare customers, making travel even easier by saving time at the Airport. 

Last month easyJet announced the opening of another key European base in Hamburg next Spring alongside announcing plans to increase its fleet in Berlin. Building on its success to date in both Hamburg and Berlin, easyJet’s new base will open with three A319 aircraft with the airline increasing its fleet in Berlin by an additional plane. 

For further information please contact the easyJet Press Office on 01582 525252, press.office@easyjet.com or log onto www.easyjet.com

easyJet in Naples at a glance: 

  • easyJet is the largest airline by passenger numbers at Naples Airport.

  • easyJet carried 1.6m passengers in the last 12 months (September 2012 – August 2013), a 3% increase year over year.

  • easyJet base will open at spring 2014 with two A319 aircraft based, operating five new routes to Hamburg, Brussels, Catania, Mykonos and Corfu  on the top of its 15 existing routes (Basel, Berlin Schoenefeld, Bristol, Edinburgh, Geneva, Ibiza, Liverpool, London Gatwick, London Stansted, Palma, Milan Malpensa, Nice, Paris Charles de Gaulle, Paris Orly and Venice). 

  • The easyJet base represents a 20% capacity investment in Naples.

  • Half of its passengers in Naples are local and 18% of easyJet passengers to/ from Naples travel for business. That will represent 360,000 business travellers in the first year of the base operation.

easyJet in Italy at a glance:

  • easyJet is the 3rd largest airline in Italy with 12% market share (source AOG) in the first half of 2013.

  • easyJet carried 13m passengers in the last 12 months (September  2012 - August 2013), representing a 7% increase year over year.  

  • easyJet operates a portfolio of 140 routes in Italy (14 domestic and 126 international in 19 countries), serving 17 Italian Airports (Alghero , Brindisi, Bologna, Bari, Cagliari, Catania, Rome Fiumicino, Milan Linate, Milan Malpensa, Naples, Olbia, Palermo, Pisa, Lamezia, Turin, Venice and Verona).

  • easyJet will offer the choice to business and leisure travellers between more than 1,250 flights per week in Italy at summer 2014. 

  • easyJet operates 3 bases in Italy with a fleet of 25 stationed aircraft: 17 in Milan Malpensa where easyJet is the No 1 airline, 6 in Rome Fiumicino  where it is the second largest airline and now 1 in Naples by passenger numbers. 

  • easyJet hires 870 employees in Italy, all with an Italian labour contract.

  • easyJet launched 24 new routes in 2012 in Italy and 8 new routes in the first half of 2013.

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 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.