On April 1, 2025, British leisure airline Jet2, along with its in-house inclusive tour operator, Jet2holidays marked the opening of its 13th UK base with the start of passenger operations from London-Luton Airport (LTN). With two of the airline’s new Airbus A321neo aircraft based at the airport initially, the carrier expects to operate up to 36 rotations per week to a variety of European and Mediterranean vacation hotspots, the blueprint for Jet2’s successful growth over recent years.
This is the second new airport base that Jet2 has launched already in 2025, after flights from Bournemouth Airport (BOH) began in February 2025.
The first flight, with flight number LS3863 and operated by A321neo G-SUNG, departed from London-Luton at 08:39 on Tuesday, April 1, 2025, heading for Palma Airport (PMI) in Majorca, Spain. The first flight was followed swiftly afterward by the airline’s second flight which took off to Tenerife as LS375 operated by A321neo G-SUNF).
To mark the special occasion, Jet2 held a day of celebrations at London-Luton to mark its arrival at the airport. Customers were treated to a red carpet welcome at check-in and were each presented with personalized gifts. Indeed, the very first customers to check in at the new base were awarded free flight vouchers by the airline, while another lucky passenger received a seven-night holiday in Turkey, personally awarded to them by the carrier’s CEO Steve Heapy. Meanwhile, passengers waiting to board the first flight to Palma were entertained by a traditional Spanish guitarist.
Jet2 will operate to 17 destinations across the Canary Islands, Balearic Islands, Mainland Spain, Portugal, Turkey, Greece, Italy, and Madeira in the summer of 2025, offering a total of over 430,000 seats during its first season of operations from London-Luton. The official arrival of Jet2 at London-Luton further expands the company’s footprint in the South of England, expanding on existing operations at both London-Stansted Airport (STN) and Bournemouth.
“We have got off to a flying start in every sense at London-Luton Airport,“ said Steve Heapy, CEO of Jet2 and Jet2holidays. Customers have been hearing all about our family-friendly ethos, great value package holidays, and award-winning customer service, and today they finally get to experience all of that for themselves. Seeing our first flights take off from our 13th UK airport base is an incredibly exciting day for [the airline] and to mark the important milestone, we held a huge celebration with customers at the very center of this.
“We are excited to be bringing our proposition to holidaymakers from across the region and are looking forward to enjoying enormous success at our newest base, just as we always do when we start operations at a new airport base.”
“Just a few months ago, we began operations from Bournemouth Airport, our 12th UK airport base. This significant expansion, along with our inaugural flight from London-Luton Airport today, demonstrates just how confident we are in our award-winning product.”
The first ever @jet2tweets flight from London Luton Airport has taken off ✈️🎉
Book your trip to one of 17 sunny destinations across Europe and the Canary Islands 👉 https://t.co/qAL5iGzpe1 pic.twitter.com/9IXkq1OlEA
— London Luton Airport (@LDNLutonAirport) April 1, 2025
Alberto Martin, Chief Executive of London Luton Airport, added: “As you would expect, the arrival of a major new airline such as Jet2 has created huge excitement at London Luton Airport. Jet2’s first summer program at London-Luton is fantastic news for the millions of holidaymakers who choose to fly from the airport each year. Our commitment, as ever, will be to ensure a simple and friendly passenger experience for all those who travel through the airport.”
Jet2 and Jet2holidays’ arrival at London Luton Airport has resulted in significant investment for the region, says the airline, with more than 125 new jobs being created with roles including flight deck and cabin crew, engineers, and ground operations staff.
Looking ahead, the airline has already reported a ‘phenomenal response’ to its first Winter 25/26 program from the airport, kicking off later in 2025. The carrier will operate to eight Winter Sun destinations in its first winter of operations from London Luton Airport, offering flights to the favored winter destinations of the UK traveling public including the Canary Islands, Spain, Turkey, and Portugal. The upcoming winter 2025/26 season will see Jet2 offer over 140,000 seats on 19 weekly departing flights from London-Luton during the winter peak.
