CEO of Jet2.com & Jet2holidays Steve Heapy with Boeing representatives at official delivery ceremony for 100th aircraft
Jet2.com and Jet2holidays has marked a major milestone when it took formal delivery of the last of 34 brand new Next Generation 737-800 aircraft from Boeing – taking the number of aircraft in its fleet to 100.
The brand new aircraft, which seats 189 passengers, was handed over to Jet2.com and Jet2holidays at a ceremony at Boeing’s Seattle Delivery Centre in the United States. The aircraft will fly to the UK this week, where it will be fitted with special finishing touches, including bespoke seating, before coming into operation in the next few weeks.
Six lucky winners joined the celebrations, after winning a social media competition hosted by Jet2.com and Jet2holidays. Tyler and Declan Adams from Bishop Auckland, Gareth Brown and Amy Anderson from Edinburgh, and Mark Jones and Nicholas Heyes from Cheshire, were chosen from more than 2,000 entries after submitting a video entry explaining why they deserved to win a place on a once-in-lifetime four-night trip to Seattle.
This newest aircraft is the final one of 34 brand new Boeing 737-800NG aircraft which Jet2.com and Jet2holidays has brought into its fleet since September 2016. The aircraft have an approximate list price of $3.3 billion, however the company has negotiated significant discounts from this price. The fleet of new aircraft enable the company to continue its growth and development strategy, meaning it can fly more package holiday and flight-only customers to sunshine, ski, and city destinations across Europe, the Canary Islands and the Mediterranean.
As well as Jet2.com being the UK’s third largest airline, Jet2holidays is now the second largest tour operator in the UK. The company’s flight-only product was enjoyed by 5.37 million passengers in the last financial year (year ended 31 March 2018), a growth of 48% year-on-year, whilst demand for ATOL protected package holidays continues to grow, as Jet2holidays took 2.5 million customers on real package holidays, an increase of 45% year-on-year. In total, the company flew 10.38 million flight-only and package holiday passengers (one-way) in the last financial year (year ended 31 March 2018), and this combined leisure travel business increased revenues by 42% to £2,223.2m.
This growth is set to continue, with over 12 million seats and three new destinations (Chania in Crete, Bourgas in Bulgaria, and Izmir in Turkey) on sale for Summer 19 from across its nine UK bases – a capacity increase of 15%.
As well as supporting the company’s continued growth, the new aircraft will also enable Jet2.com to make further product improvements in line with its family friendly ethos. This continued investment into delivering a VIP customer experience has seen the company win a number of high profile awards, such as TripAdvisor Best Airline – UK for the past two years running, 7th position in TripAdvisor’s Top Airlines of the World, and Which? Travel Brand of the Year 2018.
Steve Heapy, CEO of Jet2.com and Jet2holidays said: “The arrival of the 100th aircraft into our fleet is a momentous occasion and demonstrates the confidence we have in our growing business. Operating a fleet on this scale means we can continue to increase capacity, offering holidaymakers more choice and flexibility than ever before when it comes to getting to Europe, the Canary Islands and the Mediterranean.
“As well as continuing to grow, we have never lost our unwavering focus on providing the very best in class when it comes to customer service and customer experience, and our track record of high-profile award wins shows we are getting this right. Our brand new aircraft mean we continue to build on this success, providing more comfort in an enhanced cabin interior for customers on their well-deserved holidays.”
The delivery is the latest stage in the growth story of Jet2.com and Jet2holidays since flights began from Leeds Bradford Airport in 2003. Since then, the company has expanded to become the 3rd largest registered airline in the UK, providing friendly low fares to more than 70 sun, city and ski destinations across Europe. Through Jet2holidays the company also offers great value ATOL protected package holidays to over 500 resorts with thousands of 2-5 star hotels available.
The Boeing 737-800 is part of the successful Next-Generation 737 family. It is known for its comfort, reliability, fuel efficiency and advanced engine and wing technology. The aircraft can fly approximately 3,000 nautical miles (5,500 km), up to 900 nautical miles more than earlier 737 models and 175 nautical miles (320 kilometers) further than competing aircraft. It also consumes 5% less fuel while carrying more passengers than competing aircraft.
The aircraft uses years of research to provide more comfort for passengers, and features the 737 Boeing Sky Interior which includes sculpted sidewalls, a window design that draws passenger’s eyes to the windows, and a cabin design that offers more openness and extra leg room.
For further information, please visit: www.jet2.com or www.jet2holidays.com.
