New UK destination when Easyjet’s Bordeaux base opens

Budget airline Easyjet it will fly to seven new destinations from its new permanent Bordeaux base - including London Southend.

In January, the airline asked Connexion readers for suggestions for new routes, and hinted in March's edition that it was looking to expand its services from Bordeaux Mérignac, as well as Nice and Toulouse, within 12 months.

Now it has unveiled seven destinations it will serve from the Nouvelle Aquitaine airport after it opens its base there in March 2018. Three A320 aircraft will be permanently based at Bordeaux-Mérignac, as the airline aims to increase its passenger numbers from the airport to 2million.

As well as London Southend, it will fly to Bastia, Sicily, Luxembourg, Faro, Heraklion and Tel Aviv. There will be three London flights a week from July 25.

Easyjet currently serves 20 cities from Bordeaux, including Bristol, Belfast, Liverpool, Gatwick, Luton and Glasgow, but planes and crew come in from other cities. The decision to open a permanent base will create 110 jobs in the area.

The airline started flying in and out of Bordeaux in 2006, and is set to account for 28% of all the airport’s traffic this year. France is Easyjet's second largest market after the UK.