Liverpool John Lennon Airport will see plenty of change in 2023, as new routes and new jobs drive the airport's continuing recovery.
Ryanair has become the latest airline to expand its operation at the Speke-based airport. This week, the Irish budget airline confirmed its summer schedule from Liverpool John Lennon Airport.
Its schedule will have increased capacity, offering 31 routes including new routes to Ibiza, Rome, Shannon and Madrid. Ryanair will also base a new plane at the airport, as part of $100m more investment into Liverpool.
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The new plane will help cover its increased capacity this summer and will create 30 jobs for pilots and cabin crew. The move from Ryanair to expand its operations and schedule for summer 2023 follows a similar decision from easyJet.
In December, the airline announced it will add a seventh plane to its base at the airport in Speke, following the news of its new route from Liverpool to Corfu for summer 2023. The addition of the new plane will create around 40 job opportunities.
At the time of the easyJet's announcement, Paul Winfield, director of aviation development for Liverpool John Lennon Airport said: “We’re delighted that easyJet will be offering passengers from the North West and North Wales even more opportunities to fly from the region’s airport of choice, with more seats now on sale from Liverpool for next summer as we continue our recovery from the pandemic. Our reputation of delivering a faster, easier, friendlier customer experience is seeing more and more passengers asking to fly from Liverpool.”
The greater opportunity and choice for summer 2023 is underlined by the return of Norwegian airline Widerøe to the airport in March, offering flights from Liverpool to Bergen for the first time since the pandemic. Additionally, Lufthansa, which began flying from Liverpool in May last year, will this summer double its number of flights to six per week.
The German airline will operate every day of the week, other than Saturdays. Icelandic airline PLAY also started flying from Liverpool in 2022 and this year will be its first summer offering routes to Reykjavík on onward connections to the United States.
These additions mean that 2023 will be a busy summer for the airport, as it continues to recover from the devastating impact that the covid pandemic had on the travel industry. When Ryanair's schedule was confirmed, Paul Winfield, director of aviation development for Liverpool John Lennon Airport said: “We are delighted to welcome these new services from Ryanair for summer 2023, giving passengers from across the North West and North Wales a wider range of destinations to reach from the region’s Faster, Easier, Friendlier Airport. The addition of a fourth based aircraft in Liverpool for summer 2023 is a sign of Ryanair’s confidence in the market from Liverpool and we look forward to expanding our range of destinations with the carrier in the future.”
Expanding the range of routes, destinations and attracting more airlines is on the agenda for the airport as it continues to drive recovery from the pandemic and hopes to serve around 90% of its pre-pandemic level of five million passengers per year. The ECHO understands that, for now, the airport believes its current infrastructure is fine in serving its current capacity and remains focused on recovery, alongside publishing its decarbonisation plan, which is expected this year.
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