Fleet expansion for easyJet: New aircraft at Berlin-Schönefeld create new jobs

easyJet is expanding its fleet at Berlin-Schönefeld Airport by one additional aircraft ready for the start of the summer flight plan, bringing the total number of aircraft to twelve. With this, the airline continues to invest in the Berlin-Brandenburg region and commit itself as a local employer.

With the latest addition to the easyJet fleet, the airline is demonstrating once again its commitment to the capital: a total of 36 positions have been created at Berlin-Schönefeld Airport thanks to the new aircraft, most of which will be cabin crew and pilots. All employees come from the area and have German employment contracts with fully regulated wages. As the number of employees from Berlin grows to over 500, the total number across Germany comes to around 600.

Thomas Haagensen, CEO easyJet Deutschland:

We are well aware of our significance as an employer in Berlin and believe in the business and tourism potential of the capital. Being able to create more, direct workplaces here, is of great importance for easyJet. We want to be a partner for the city, helping to strengthen both tourism and business equally.

The new workplaces are part of the largest recruitment drives in the history of easyJet with more than 1,200 permanent appointments amongst cabin crews over the airline’s entire network, 90 of which are in Germany.

We’re giving a warm welcome here at Schönefeld to the 12th easyJet aircraft,” says Prof. Dr. Ing. Engelbert Lütke Daldrup, CEO Flughafen Berlin Brandenburg GmbH. “The continuous investment by easyJet in Schönefeld has been a significant factor contributing to its growth. Since 2004, easyJet has been a reliable and stable partner. In the last 12 months alone, the airline has stationed three additional aircraft in Berlin and created many skilled jobs. This year in June, easyJet is adding three new destinations to Schönefeld’s flight plan, bringing its total number of destinations from Berlin up to 48. So we wish them all the best and clear skies.

The growth trends push on: easyJet is stationing its third new aircraft in Berlin within one year and has created more than 100 jobs over the same period. The eleventh new aircraft allowed easyJet to grow by 15 % in Berlin within the first half of the 2017 financial year, and therefore during the winter season, in comparison to the previous year. In April 2004, easyJet opened the first German hub in Berlin-Schönefeld and now flies several million people to and from Berlin every year. This May, in the current financial year, the airline surpassed the 45 million passenger milestone in the capital. In the 2016 financial year, easyJet flew 5.2 million passengers to and from Berlin – that’s over 8 % more than in the previous year. This year, the figure will be over 5.7 million passengers according to estimates, and with such volumes, the airline expects growth of more than 10 % over the previous year.

The new aircraft increases the number of available seats and allows new routes to be established. Therefore, from the end of June, easyJet will start flying to three new destinations from Berlin-Schönefeld: Bastia (Corsica) from 26.6.2017, Pula (Croatia) from 27.6.2017 and Varna (Bulgaria) from 28.6.2017. In addition, the German summer flight plan from Hamburg will now include Bordeaux from 4.6.2017, Rhodes from 5.6.2017 and Valencia from 28.6.2017. With this, the airline will be expanding its German network in the coming summer to 93 routes.