Tag: Stansted

Jet2 commences new services to Athens and Rome from Stansted

Jet2.com and Jet2CityBreaks, the UK-based leisure airline and operator, recently announced the launch of two brand-new city break destinations from London Stansted Airport, with the first flights to the historic cities of Athens and Rome departing on March 30.

The launch marks the start of city breaks to Europe including these ancient cities for Summer 23 to the end of November. Twice weekly services (Thursday and Sunday) will operate to Athens from London Stansted Airport until November 26, while four weekly services (Monday, Thursday, Friday and Sunday) are available to Rome until November 27.

Steve Heapy, CEO of Jet2.com and Jet2holidays, said: ‘We are delighted to see our first flights from London Stansted to Athens and Rome take off today. Feedback from customers and independent travel agents in the South East has been telling us that flights and holidays to Greece and Italy are very much in demand for Summer 23, and we know that Athens and Rome are destinations that customers in the region want to get to. Since putting services on sale to these two destinations from London Stansted Airport, local customers and independent travel agents have been booking getaways to the city break hotspots in their numbers. With 42 sun and city destinations on sale this summer from the base, we pleased to be offering an unrivalled flying programme for Summer 23. As the UK’s largest tour operator, we are giving customers and independent travel agents unrivalled choice when it comes to enjoying a holiday this summer.’

Ciaran Brannigan, London Stansted’s Commercial Director, said: ‘The launch of new flights to the ancient cities of Athens and Rome are fantastic additions to the extensive range of sun and city destinations already on offer from Jet2.com and Jet2CityBreaks at London Stansted. These services are proving to be extremely popular with passengers from across the East of England and London, and I’m sure demand will increase as more and more people choose to head-off to these amazing cities from their local airport this summer.’

When travelling to Athens or Rome, customers can choose from a flight-only with Jet2.com, or a package option with Jet2CityBreaks available for a £60 per person deposit. Package options with Jet2CityBreaks include flights with Jet2.com including 22kg free hold luggage and 10kg cabin baggage, as well as a choice of hotels.

Jet2.com and Jet2holidays are operating their biggest ever summer programme from the base in 2023. To support the programme, Jet2 has increased its fleet at Stansted this summer. With the addition of a 15th based aircraft, the companies will operate over 225 weekly flights from London Stansted Airport in Summer 23 and over 2.1 million seats on sale – a capacity increase of more than 10 percent compared to Summer 22.

Emirates restarts flights from London Stansted

Emirates has said that it has resumed services to London Stansted (STN), serving its third London gateway with a daily flight.

The airline has advanced plans to increase capacity from five-weekly services to a daily flight, starting August 1. With the return of services to Stansted, Emirates has strengthened its operations to London with nine daily flights, including six daily flights to Heathrow and a double daily flight to Gatwick.

London Stansted will be served by Emirates’ wide-body Boeing 777-300ER aircraft fitted with its ‘Game Changer’ First Class product. Emirates flight EK65 will depart Dubai at 08:50hrs and arrive in London Stansted at 13:30hrs local time. The return flight, EK68 will depart London Stansted at 21:10hrs and arrive in Dubai at 7:10hrs local time, the following day.

‘The daily service will offer customers in East and Southeast UK more travel options, flexibility, and convenience when travelling with Emirates to more than 130 destinations, via Dubai,’ the airline said.

‘The airline also offers its customers an unmatched culinary experience in the skies with regionally inspired meals and a wide selection of premium beverages. Customers can sit back and relax with more than 5,000 channels of carefully curated global entertainment content featuring movies, TV shows, music, podcasts, games, audiobooks and more with ice, Emirates’ award-winning inflight entertainment system,’ it added.

Emirates currently serves seven gateways in the UK. By October 2022, the airline will be serving the country with 110 weekly flights, including: six times daily to London Heathrow; daily service to London Stansted; double daily A380 service to Gatwick; three times daily to Manchester, including a double daily A380 service (starting October 1, 2022); double daily service to Birmingham; five weekly flights to Newcastle; and a daily service to Glasgow.

The airline is also currently serving London Gatwick with three daily flights until August 3, 2022. The added frequency is serving customer demand and accommodating passengers affected by capacity adjustments on flights from London Heathrow.

Jet2 expands services to Dalaman from London Stansted Airport

Jet2.com and Jet2holidays, the UK leisure and holiday operator, has announced the expansion of flight services and package holidays to Dalaman from London Stansted Airport as the companies celebrate five years of service on the route.

When Jet2.com and Jet2holidays first launched flights and holidays to Dalaman from London Stansted Airport, the companies operated up to two weekly flights from the base to the Turkish sunshine.

With demand for flights and holidays to Dalaman increasing, Jet2.com and Jet2holiays have since expanded their Dalaman programme from London Stansted Airport to up to 12 weekly flights for Summer 22, with daily flights available and twice-daily services on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday.

Steve Heapy, CEO of Jet2.com and Jet2holidays, said: ‘We are delighted to be celebrating five years of operating our award-winning flights and package holidays to Dalaman from London Stansted Airport today. During this time, Dalaman has proved extremely popular, and we have seen strong demand from customers and independent travel agents in the South West looking to enjoy this Turkish hotspot. To meet with this demand, we have continued to expand our offering and have a huge programme on sale to Dalaman from London Stansted for Summer 22, giving customers and independent travel agents unrivalled choice when it comes to enjoying a holiday with our award-winning airline and tour operator. In addition to looking back over the years, we are also using today’s celebrations as an opportunity to look towards the future with confidence and positivity. We are extremely proud to have reached this important milestone and look forward to continuing to take many more happy holidaymakers to this destination for years to come.’

With the expansion, Jet2 has over 110,000 seats on sale for Summer 22 from London Stansted Airport to Dalaman, representing a capacity increase of over 1,000 percent compared to Summer 2017.

In addition to a choice of thousands of 2-5 star hotels through Jet2holidays, customers can take advantage of tens of thousands of Free Child Places this summer. The company has recently added a Free Child Place onto every single flight departing from the UK in June, July and August 2022.

Emirates will resume flights between Dubai and London Stansted in August 2022

Emirates is set to resume flights between Dubai and London Stansted in August 2022.

This will be the first time Emirates flies from Stansted since pausing operations from the airport in March 2020 following the pandemic.

Initially, the airline will start with a five-weekly service, before increasing to a daily service from September 1.

Operations will resume using a wide-body Boeing 777-300ER aircraft with an evening flight, with EK065 departing at 21:10 and arriving at Dubai International (DXB) at 07:10 the following day. Returning to the UK, EK068 will leave Dubai at 08:50, arriving in Stansted at 13:30 (all times are local).

Steve Griffiths, London Stansted’s Managing Director, said: ‘The return of Emirates flights between Dubai and London Stansted is wonderful news and demonstrates the renewed confidence among airlines and passengers as we recover from the pandemic.

‘The route is of huge importance to London and the East of England, providing a vital link between the two destinations and beyond, thanks to the airline’s extensive onward network.’

Richard Jewsbury, Emirates Divisional Vice President in the UK, said: ‘Stansted is a key hub for Emirates in the East and South East of the UK and resuming operations will offer better connectivity to businesses and communities in the region while also boosting the UK economy through scaled-up inbound travel and additional cargo capacity.

‘The UK is Emirates’ most important international market and bookings have continued to surge with the further easing of travel restrictions.

‘We look forward to welcoming more people on board our premium Boeing 777-300ER aircraft later this year.’

London Stansted Airport unveils new Covid-19 testing facility

London Stansted Airport has said that it has launched a new Covid-19 testing facility, as part of a move by its parent company, Manchester Airports Group (MAG).

Accordingly, a full range of tests – RT-PCR, RT-LAMP, Rapid Antigen and Antibody – will be available to all passengers in a new facility inside the main terminal building. They will be delivered in partnership with airport services and travel medical provider, Collinson.

MAG, the UK’s largest airport group, also became the first operator to give its passengers the chance to book discounted pre-flight testing appointments on the high street at selected Boots UK stores.

Boots offers an in-store RT-PCR Covid-19 testing service, which returns results within 48 hours from more than 50 stores across the UK, specifically for customers who do not suspect they have Covid-19. MAG passengers will be able to access a five percent discount through the airport’s website. Airport testing prices through Collinson start at £40 for Antibody tests, £50 for Antigen tests, £79 for RT-LAMP tests and £99 for RT-PCR tests.

Steve Griffiths, Managing Director, London Stansted, said, ‘As England emerges from a ban on international travel, we know our passengers are keen to start flying again, but many of Stansted’s most popular destinations require a negative test before you arrive in the country.

This new facility will make the process of showing you’re infection-free when booking a holiday as easy and cost-effective as possible in the current circumstances. Our new booking portal makes it easy to select the right test for your destination, and at the location that is most convenient for you.

This also means Stansted is perfectly placed to support the introduction of a UK arrivals testing regime, which will enable travellers to reduce the length of time they need to self-isolate if they test negative.

Subject to the relevant tests securing government approval, this could free people from quarantine after just five days. This is the latest example of MAG leading the way as we look to work with Government and the rest of our industry to get Britain flying again.’

While some governments allow pre-departure tests in order to shorten or completely alleviate quarantine requirements in the destination country, others require them in order to gain entry. Passengers will also be able to book the tests they need to shorten their self-isolation period upon return under the UK Government’s ‘Test to Release’ scheme. The scheme, announced last week, will launch on December 15 and allow travellers arriving from higher risk countries to reduce their period of quarantine by taking a test five days after they arrive in the UK.

MAG’s testing services are the first to be offered by an airport group at multiple locations across the country. The service will cater for both outbound and inbound testing, and adapt as Government travel requirements change.

Ryanair announces new route to Oradea, Romania from London Stansted

Ryanair, the Irish low fares airline, has announced a new London Stansted route to Oradea in Romania, with a twice weekly service commencing in December 2020, as part of Ryanair’s London Stansted Winter 2020 and Summer 2021 schedules.

British consumers and visitors can now book a getaway to Oradea until October 2021.

Alongside the announcement, Ryanair has launched a seat sale with fares available from £14.99, for travel until the end of January, which must be booked by midnight Thursday (October 1) on the Ryanair.com website.

Ryanair’s Director of Commercial Jason Mc Guinness said: ‘Ryanair is pleased to launch a new London Stansted route to Oradea (Romania), commencing in December, which will operate twice weekly as part of our London Stansted Winter 2020 and Summer 2021 schedules. Customers in London can now book flights to Oradea as far out as October 2021.

‘To celebrate this new Oradea route, we are launching a seat sale with fares available from just £14.99, for travel until the end of January 2021, which must be booked by midnight Thursday (1 Oct). Since these amazing low fares will be snapped up quickly, customers should log onto www.ryanair.com and avoid missing out.’

Last week, Ryanair announced that it will open a new base at Paris Beauvais, from December 3, 2020, with two based aircraft and 32 routes, including one from Manchester.

London Stansted asks passengers to wear face coverings

London Stansted is urging passengers travelling through London Stansted to cover their faces and wear gloves.

The airport’s owner, Manchester Airports Group (MAG), has issued the new guidance and is trialling the measures across its other airports, Manchester and East Midlands. The move makes these airports the first in the UK to ask their passengers to wear face coverings.

The move is aimed at ensuring that the limited number of passengers currently making essential journeys through its airports feels safer and confident about flying. It will also provide a further level of protection to colleagues working at the airport. The pilot scheme will provide valuable feedback and set a path towards a new minimum standard for safe international travel.

Passengers are urged to bring their own gloves and face coverings or face masks to the airport. However, in the early stages of the pilot, for those arriving without, gloves and masks will be provided that can be worn throughout passengers’ time at the airport. London Stansted will also be conducting some limited temperature screening trials over the next few weeks. Initially, during this trial phase, this will be to test equipment and results will not be communicated to passengers or used to decide whether a passenger can travel.

MAG is planning to ask all passengers to make a health declaration in order to enter its airports and will give passengers sufficient notice of any such trials.

London Stansted Chief Operating Officer, Steve Griffiths, said: ‘It’s clear that social distancing will not work on any form of public transport. But we’re confident that when the time is right, people will be able to travel safely.

‘Here at London Stansted, we’ve been working hard with our two sister airports and the rest of the industry on a new safety framework for travel. We now need to work urgently with Government to agree how we operate in the future. This has to be a top priority so that people can be confident about flying, and to get tourism and travel going again.

‘ We have taken expert medical advice on how people can travel safely, and we’re pleased to be piloting these new measures at our airports for those passengers who do still need to travel. We expect to be able to agree a new framework by the end of May that will support a restart of the industry as soon as possible.’

London Stansted announces new Air Senegal service to Dakar

London Stansted has announced the launch of UK’s only direct service to the Senegalese capital, Dakar, by Air Senegal starting this summer.

Dakar is the latest destination recently announced by Stansted, after Mumbai, Tel Aviv, Amritsar, Istanbul and Reykjavik. The city known for its long-distance rally, Dakar is located on the Cape-Vert peninsula on the Atlantic coast and is the westernmost city on the African mainland.

Air Senegal is set to operate its first ever UK service from London Stansted, and will operate three flights a week starting on June 26. Operating on Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays, flights will leave Stansted at 7.50am, arriving at Dakar’s Blaise Diagne International Airport at 2.05pm. On the return they depart Dakar at 12.15am and arrive at Stansted at 6.25am.

The route will also benefit the 400,000 people in London Stansted’s catchment area who currently travel to Dakar and other key African cities from other UK airports. The flight times will also allow passengers to connect to several countries across Africa, including the Gambia, Sierra Leone, Cape Verde, Ivory Coast, Mali, Republic of Guinea and Nigeria.

London Stansted’s Chief Commercial Officer, Aboudy Nasser, said: ‘We are delighted that Air Senegal has chosen London Stansted for their first and only direct service from the UK to Dakar. It’s another new long-haul destination to add to London Stansted’s departure boards which will connect people and businesses from the region to a new and important market.

‘We know that 400,000 people in London Stansted’s catchment area currently travel to Dakar and other key African cities every year from other UK airports, so this new service will not only provide greater choice but help cut down unnecessary journeys.

Air Senegal will use an Airbus A321 on the route offering economy seats and fully reclining flat beds in business class. The flight will also provide people and businesses the opportunity to connect onto flights to several countries across Africa via its Dakar hub, including the Gambia, Sierra Leone, Cape Verde, Ivory Coast, Mali, Republic of Guinea and Nigeria.

Air India commences new services to Mumbai from London Stansted

Air India has commenced its second long-haul route from London Stansted with the launch of its new three-times a week service to Mumbai, India.

The new Mumbai service is the first ever direct link from London Stansted to India’s largest city, which is considered the financial and entertainment capital of the country. The Indian airline launched its Amritsar route four months ago – a popular route with passengers from across London and the east of England.

Aboudy Nasser, London Stansted’s Chief Commercial Officer, said: ‘The launch of Air India’s new service to Mumbai is a fantastic addition to London Stansted’s route network and a real vote of confidence in the airport and the catchment area we serve coming less than four months after the airline joined us for its inaugural service to Amritsar.

‘Already 200,00 people travel to India’s economic hub from our region every year, so with the added convenience of flying from their local airport saving valuable time and money by avoiding other London airports, we expect this service to be very popular with passengers as we continue to build our successful and growing relationship with Air India at London Stansted.’

‘This is great news for me personally and for the team at o2h Ventures. Flying to Mumbai previously meant travelling from other UK airports but the new direct service from Stansted will save us several hours commuting time. Mumbai is rated amongst the top 10 centres for commerce and is known as the commercial capital of India so I’m confident the new route will help facilitate business opportunities for companies in both countries,’ said Sunil Shah CEO of o2h ventures, a leading investment firm based in Cambridge

The new Mumbai route will be served by a 256-seat Boeing 787 Dreamliner and will initially operate until the end of the winter flight schedule.

London Stansted Airport has further announced plans for new charging points for passengers’ electric vehicles and additional investment into facilities that support the airport’s public transport usage. Under the plan, up to 13 high-speed electric charging points will be installed at a new charging station on Thremhall Avenue later this year. The airport will also soon introduce charging points into its Meet and Greet car parks.

Jet2 announces 100,000 more seats at London Stansted for Summer 2019

The UK-based flight and holiday company, Jet2.com and Jet2holidays, has recently said that it will add an extra aircraft and put another 100,000 seats on sale for Summer 19 from London Stansted, following increased demand for its package holidays from customers in the South and South East of England.

The addition of a new aircraft will increase the seat capacity at London Stansted next summer to over 1.85 million, an increase of 24% on Summer 2018. With the latest expansion, Jet2.com will now operate 12 aircraft from London Stansted next summer.

Jet2 will operate to 36 sun and city destinations in Summer 2019, and the additional capacity means more flights and holidays to popular destinations including Cyprus, Turkey, the Canary Islands, the Balearic Islands, Portugal and Mainland Spain.

The new additions include daily services to both Larnaca and Paphos in Cyprus; up to 20 weekly services to Turkey, including daily flights to Antalya and Dalaman as well as four weekly services to Bodrum and two to Izmir; Nearly 30 weekly flights to Canary Islands, including daily and double-daily services to Lanzarote and Tenerife, as well as five weekly services to Gran Canaria and three weekly services to Fuerteventura; almost 60 weekly flights in total to mainland Spain and Balearic Islands, including daily and double-daily services to Alicante, Ibiza, Malaga, Menorca and Majorca, and over 30 weekly services to eight Greek destinations of Crete (Heraklion and Chania), Corfu, Rhodes, Kefalonia, Zante, Halkidiki and Kos.

In addition, Jet2 will be the only operator to Madeira from London Stansted with weekly services increased to four, while the number of services to Faro, Portugal has been increased to 12 per week.

Steve Heapy, CEO of Jet2.com and Jet2holidays, said: ‘This is great news for customers in the South and South East of England who are looking to enjoy a great value package holiday in the sunshine next summer.

‘Continued demand means we are adding extra aircraft and increasing capacity by over 100,000 seats, giving local holidaymakers even more choice and flexibility with our award-winning airline and package holiday business. As the leading tour operator out of London Stansted, we are delighted to be adding more choice to a number of fantastic destinations including Turkey, Cyprus, Greece and Spain.’