EasyJet must give back 58 summer slots a week to BA at Gatwick next year, but speaking as easyJet published its full-year results on Tuesday (25 November), chief executive Kenton Jarvis said he was content with the situation.
"We have looked after a series of slots for the last three years,” he said, adding the airline had already returned some. “We still have 72 aircraft at Gatwick. We are happy with our Gatwick presence – it represents 44% market share.”
Jarvis claimed he welcomed the competition Jet2 would bring when it opens a base at the airport next summer. "It’s good; we compete with them throughout the UK.”
He added that while Jet2 “have a strong hold throughout the regions”, easyJet holidays “had come from nothing” to take a 10% market share.
Jet2 will base five aircraft at Gatwick, with another flying in from abroad. “They will have just under 3% [of Gatwick capacity] compared with our 44%, so we will have a strong network," Jarvis said. "It will raise holiday awareness in that area."
EasyJet argues only around 7% of its 100 million seat capacity is taken by its tour operator, while Jet2.com flights are 70% package-based, with “limited growth opportunity”.
EasyJet holidays delivered £250 million of the £665 million group profits in the year to 30 September. Jarvis explained it had needed to double market share to 10% to achieve this and expected further progress this year.
"This year, not only are we converting customers [from the airline], but we are winning customers from competitors”, he said.
Jarvis said the operator had an advantage in that it does not bear the investment costs of opening new routes, which typically take two or three years to mature.
“It’s the airline that invests," he said. "EasyJet holidays does not take these costs of investment, but it’s a longer burn for the airline.”
Jarvis said the tour operation was 80% sold for the period from October 2025 to March 2026.
He added the tour operation would never be more profitable than the airline, and it did not drive airline thinking.
“Our network is 65% cities and domestic, it’s not really about trying to find more and more beach destinations,” he said, albeit while stressing Egypt and Cape Verde presented more opportunities.
