Charles De Gaulle, Paris
EasyJet is to open its 18th and 19th bases at Paris and Lyon airports in spring 2008.
The carrier says this will reinforce its position as France”s only significant low-cost airline and the country”s second largest carrier.
This strategy will include a ”600m ($848m) investment during a four-year period and by 2011, easyJet plans to have 20 based aircraft, carrying 12m passengers, operating more than 80 routes in and out of France.
From February 2008, three new Airbus A319s will be based at Paris Charles de Gaulle. From here, the airline will launch six additional domestic and international routes (Biarritz, Oporto, Venice, Marrakech, Hamburg and Krakow).
The second new base at Lyon”s Saint-Exup”ry Airport will have two Airbus A319 aircraft from April 2008, also operating domestic and international routes (Bordeaux, Toulouse, Casablanca, Marrakech, Venice, Porto and Lisbon).
This Lyon base means easyJet will become the first no-frills airline to offer French domestic routes out of regional airports.
France is an important target market for easyJet. Despite low cost penetration of 17%, half of the European average (33%), the French air transport market still lacks affordable, direct air links, according to the carrier.