Welcoming guests to the Jet2holidays conference in the Algarve on Monday (14 November), chief executive Heapy said agents would be critical to the airline and operator’s growth ambitions over the coming years.

He urged them to make the most of the conference over 14-17 November to establish how they can expand their business with Jet2. "The objective for the next few days is for all of us to talk, and work out how we can do more business together," said Heapy.

"By the way, we’ve ordered a load of new aircraft, we’ve got 146 on order, [so] we have to double in the next five or six years. We need your support and we will help you grow."

Last month, Jet2 plc secured a new £300 million credit facility, one executive chair Philip Meeson said reflected "the considerable growth" of Jet2’s business with the operator now licensed to sell and operate 5.3 million Atol-protected seats over the next year.

This came just days after Jet2 placed a firm $4 billion order for an additional 35 Airbus A320neo aircraft, with an option to grow this to as many as 71 in a deal that could rise to be worth as much as $8 billion.

In total, Jet2 has 98 new Airbus neo family aircraft on firm order, with options across several separate orders through 2031 to extend this to a full 146 if it wishes.

Jet2 is currently on sale through to the end of summer 2024, a programme it says will be its largest-ever comprising more than 15 million seats across 346 routes from its 10 UK bases.