EasyJet to increase routes from Edinburgh Airport

EASYJET, Scotland’s biggest airline, is creating 100 jobs by basing another two aircraft at Edinburgh airport, taking the total to seven.

• EasyJet to add two more planes to Edinburgh routes

• Move will create 100 jobs

However, it has asked for ideas as to which routes they should operate on, which is seen as an attempt to prise marketing and other funding from agencies such as VisitScotland.

The first new Airbus A319 will arrive in December followed by another next March.

EasyJet said the new routes were scheduled to be announced in October “following a period of engagement with a range of Scottish partners including VisitScotland and Marketing Edinburgh.”

First Minister Alex Salmond described the announcement as “fantastic news for Edinburgh and Scotland as a whole”.

EasyJet flies 2.5 million passengers a year from Edinburgh on 24 routes, accounting for more than one quarter of the airport’s total.

Hugh Aitken, head of EasyJet in Scotland, said: “The arrival of the two new aircraft from December will deliver over 180,000 new seats.

“We are asking key partners to work with us to determine which new destinations to launch and look forward to working with Edinburgh airport and others over the coming month to finalise our plans.”

Airport chief executive Gordon Dewar said the expansion was “hugely significant” for the hub.