Agents have welcomed news that Jet2 is to launch flights from Bournemouth, its 12th UK base.
Announced just two days before Jet2’s inaugural flights from Liverpool, the company confirmed it will be basing two aircraft at Bournemouth from next year.
Eager-eyed agents had already spotted that Jet2 and Jet2holidays had started selling flights and packages from the south coast airport early this morning, ahead of the official announcement.
Writing in the Travel Gossip Facebook group, one agent described it as ‘brilliant news’ while another said: “This is so amazing. Can’t wait to start selling Jet2.”
The opening of the new base marks a return to its birthplace for Jet2, which started life as Channel Express at Bournemouth in 1978.
From summer 2025, Jet2 and Jet2holidays will offer 27 flights a week from Bournemouth to 16 destinations in Europe, the Canary Islands, and the Mediterranean (see the full list and frequencies below).
Two of its destinations, Fuerteventura in the Canary Islands and Madeira, are exclusive to Jet2 from Bournemouth.
The inaugural flight will depart for Tenerife on 1 April 2025.
The first 1,000 bookings will receive free fast-track service through security at the airport when they travel from Bournemouth.
Jet2 CEO Steve Heapy said: “We know that customers and independent travel agents have been asking us for a long time to make this move, so we are absolutely delighted to be announcing today that Bournemouth Airport will become our 12th UK base airport.
He added: “This latest expansion is a further demonstration of our confidence, and it reflects our long-term strategy to be the UK’s leading and best leisure travel business. We know that customers want to be properly looked after throughout their holiday experience, and we are making a significant investment in the region including the creation of over 100 new jobs to do exactly that”
Bournemouth Airport, which is investing £5 million in upgrades, is expecting to handle one million passengers this year following an increase in flights by both Ryanair and TUI.
TUI has added a second aircraft at Bournemouth for this summer, and an extra 60,000 seats to a total of 14 destinations. Ryanair will fly to 19 destinations from the airport this year, including its newest, Agadir in Morocco, from 1 April.
The new flights from Jet2 are expected to boost traffic at Bournemouth airport by around 300,000 passengers.
Jet2.com and Jet2holidays summer ‘25 flights from Bournemouth:
- Tenerife – up to three weekly services
- Fuerteventura – weekly services (Wednesdays)
- Gran Canaria – weekly services (Sundays)
- Lanzarote – up to two weekly services (Mondays, Fridays)
- Alicante – up to two weekly services (Tuesdays, Saturdays)
- Palma (Majorca) – up to four weekly services (Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays)
- Ibiza – up to two weekly services (Thursdays, Sundays)
- Menorca – weekly services (Sundays)
- Antalya – up to two weekly services (Wednesdays, Saturdays)
- Dalaman – up to two weekly services (Thursdays, Sundays)
- Faro (Algarve) – up to two weekly services (Mondays, Fridays)
- Madeira – weekly services (Thursdays)
- Crete (Heraklion) – weekly services (Tuesdays)
- Corfu – weekly services (Wednesdays)
- Rhodes – weekly services (Tuesdays)
- Zante – weekly services (Thursdays)
