'Red light' for EasyJet's direct Jersey to Amsterdam route

Wednesday 15 November 2023

EasyJet has pulled its direct service from Jersey to Amsterdam after the route failed to take off in the Dutch market.

The route, which was announced at the end of last year and ran throughout the summer, had previously been described by Ports of Jersey’s chief executive Matt Thomas as “a major milestone for Jersey’s connectivity”.

However, the airline has not scheduled the service again for next year.

Pictured: "While the route was well-used by islanders, it did not attract enough passengers from Amsterdam to retain the route."

In a statement, Ports of Jersey said: “EasyJet makes decisions based on commercial considerations, and while the route was well-used by islanders, it did not attract enough passengers from Amsterdam to retain the route.

“The success of new routes depends on attracting visitors from other locations. Despite efforts to market the island and the route in the Dutch market, this did not happen.

“One of Ports of Jersey’s strategic priorities is to develop commercially sustainable air connectivity and we are continuing discussions with easyJet on potential additional European routes.

“There are also other airlines and travel operators providing direct services to European destinations such as Munich, Dusseldorf, Split, Faro, Palma, Ibiza, and Malaga.”

Pictured: Ports of Jersey’s chief executive Matt Thomas.

The Amsterdam route was also last year welcomed by Economic Development Minister Morel, who said that he would be engaging with Ports “to encourage them to further the expansion of our European networks”.

However, Mr Thomas said that airlines build their operations around “mega airports”, noting that Jersey is “not Gatwick or Charles de Gaulle”.

He commented: “European connectivity is really important. We have got a base, [but] we need to develop it. The ultimate goal is year-round services to key European destinations with an airline of the scale of easyJet.”