EasyJet (UK) (London-Luton) has agreed a new 10 year deal with London Luton Airport which could see the airline more than double its size at the airport from four to nine million passengers a year. The expansion would also see the creation of 2,500 new jobs at the airport – the UK’s sixth largest – and in the surrounding region.

EasyJet has 15 aircraft based at London Luton, its second largest London base, and plans to grow its capacity by around 20% over the next year – adding new business and leisure routes and increasing frequencies on some of its existing 39 routes from London Luton.

EasyJet is the largest airline operating from London Luton with 1,600 staff employed locally and 39 destinations served.

EasyJet first launched flights from London Luton Airport with one aircraft in 1995 and the airport remains the home of the airline with its headquarters based there.

London Luton Airport is one of the UK’s largest airports and carried 9.7 million passengers in 2013, departing to over 100 destinations. The Airport directly and indirectly employs over 600 and 8,000 staff respectively and is a key economic driver for the region.

Top Copyright Photo: Antony J. Best/AirlinersGallery.com (all others by EasyJet). Airbus A319-111 G-EZBF (msn 2923) in the Tartan design prepares to depart from Gatwick Airport on the south side of London.

The airline issued this statement about G-EZBF:

EasyJet today (March 31) celebrated the launch of new early morning flights between Inverness and London Gatwick by unveiling a special edition tartan plane and EasyJet tartan kilts.

EasyJet was joined by Transport Minister Keith Brown MSP and Highlands MP Danny Alexander as well as representatives from Visit Scotland, Scottish Council for Development and Industry and the Inverness Chamber of Commerce .

These services not only secure the long term future of air links between the Highlands and London following Flybe’s decision to exit the route but will also help to keep businesses in the Highlands connected to London.

To mark the occasion easyJet created the ‘Highland aircraft’ tartan which is the first to be registered to an airline since records started in 2008 and one of the most prominent orange designs available. The easyJet tartan also features on a special edition Airbus A319 aircraft – named ‘Inverness’ – which will operate on easyJet routes across Europe to help promote the Highlands as a tourism destination.

The new Inverness to Gatwick flights will be followed by four new easyJet routes launching this spring – Herakilon and Bodrum from Edinburgh and Spilt and Kos from Glasgow. In total EasyJet expects to carry over 5.3 million passengers on Scottish flights this year ensuring it remains Scotland’s largest airline.

EasyJet (UK):