Chief executive Steve Heapy said launching flights and packages from the airport would bring “another 15 million people into our catchment”.
“Our director of travel agent relationships Alan Cross spoke to a lot of agents last week and the feedback was unanimously positive,” he said.
“There are some that are part of a chain and they see some of them being able to sell Jet2.”
Heapy said the strong relationship Jet2 has built with the trade in recent years, including during the pandemic when it refunded customers promptly, “was still being repaid”.
He added agents currently provided “just over 20%” of all Jet2 bookings. “If you’re a travel agent, it’s the best brand out there,” he claimed.
Jet2 will base five aircraft at Gatwick with the equivalent of a sixth serving it in a "W" pattern from other airports.
The government has given Gatwick the go-ahead to bring its standby runway into permanent use for short-haul flights.
Meanwhile, Jet2 has 132 aircraft on order for delivery over the next 10 years. It will receive “12 to 13 every year”, Heapy said.
"That will provide us with the ability to replace older aircraft and fuel our growth in future.”
Heapy added he expected Gatwick to “start well” but admitted it would be “some time” before it was profitable. “We had a lot of demand from customers in that area,” he said.
