French low-cost carrier easyJet is going to be adding 17 new winter routes across France, tightening travel links between the United Kingdom and France while targeting ski, city, and winter-sun destinations. New flagship routes will connect cities like Bordeaux and Budapest, Lyon and Sharm el-Sheikh, and Paris and Luxor. Further additions also build out the airline’s connectivity to a number of ski markets.
A handful of new United Kingdom-based connections will also land this winter, broadening easyJet’s reach in the nation. Some of these routes include services from Paris to Aberdeen, Grenoble to Southend, and Grenoble to Birmingham. Flights from Toulouse to London Gatwick Airport (LGW) are set to return with six weekly flights at peak frequency. Most routes will run just twice or three times weekly, with introductory fares set to start as low as €35 (Around $45).
What Exactly Are These New Routes?
These routes roughly fall into four different categories, and we will analyze them all in detail. However, it is likely best to start with new links between secondary cities in the United Kingdom and primary cities in France. Some operate between primary cities in the United Kingdom and secondary cities in France. Five routes fit into this category (if you include the TLS-LGW resumption), and they are detailed below, per data from French English-language news outlet The Connexion:
- Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG) to Aberdeen International Airport (ABZ)
- Grenoble Alpes-Isere Airport (GNB) to London Southend Airport (SEN)
- Grenoble Alpes-Isere Airport (GNB) to Birmingham Airport (BHX)
- Strasbourg Airport (XSB) to Manchester Airport (MAN)
- Toulouse Blagnac Airport (TLS) to London Gatwick Airport (LGW)
These routes serve to deepen market connections that already exist, with the airline seeking to grow its year-round presence in a number of secondary markets. These flights are different in profile (for example, flights from Toulouse are city-leisure flights while those to Grenoble target skiers), but they are all similar in overall objective. Two new routes also stand out as sun-leisure services, and they are as follows:
- Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG) to Luxor International Airport (LXR)
- Lyon-Saint Exupery Airport (LYS) to Sharm El-Sheikh International Airport (SSH)
A Deeper Look At New Services To Central And Eastern Europe
There are also a handful of services operated by the carrier to destinations across Central and Eastern Europe. These are primarily city-break routes that target culture-oriented leisure travelers and those visiting friends and relatives (VFR). These services include the following four routes, which are new for the carrier and add exceptional value to the airline’s network, all while stimulating inbound flows of tourism to cities across France:
- Nantes Atlantique Airport (NTE) to Budapest Ferenc Liszt International Airport (BUD)
- Bordeaux Merignac Airport (BOD) to Budapest Ferenc Liszt International Airport (BUD)
- Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG) to Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport (BEG)
- Lyon Saint Exupery Airport (LYS) to Priština International “Adem Jashari” Airport (PRN)
Most of these routes are exclusive services, meaning that easyJet is the only carrier to operate the route. This offers exceptional pricing power and market penetration for the airline.
Flights from Lyon to Priština are a unique diaspora corridor with relatively limited winter-season tourist potential. However, the airline has clearly seen enough data to convince it that this kind of service could be fully worth launching.
Routes To Western And Southern Europe
The remaining six routes are all nonstop services from the airline’s hubs to destinations all across Western and Southern Europe. These routes serve a mix of leisure and business travelers, and they will add further connectivity to the airline’s network. These include the following routes:
- Rennes Bretagne Airport (RNS) to Barcelona-El Prat “Josep Tarradellas” Airport (BCN)
- Rennes Bretagne Airport (RNS) to Geneva Airport (GVA
- Strasbourg Airport (SXB) to Milan Malpensa Airport (MXP)
- Strasbourg Airport (SXB) to Rome Fiumicino “Leonardo da Vinci” Airport (FCO)
- Bordeaux Merignac Airport (BOS) to Vienna International Airport (VIE)
- Nice Côte d’Azur Airport (NCE) to Düsseldorf Airport (DUS)
These are all exactly the kinds of routes that the airline wants to add to its network because they allow the carrier to continue expanding its positioning within the market. Connections between secondary markets allow easyJet to further position itself in airports that competitors will hesitate to touch.
Not all of these routes will end up being cash machines for the airline. However, the airline certainly believes enough of them will turn a profit in order to be worth launching such an ambitious winter expansion.
