Jet2 launches first flight from Liverpool John Lennon Airport

Airline and tour operator Jet2 is launching flights from Liverpool to 20 different holiday destinations.

The first flight jetted off from Liverpool John Lennon Airport to Tenerife at 08:00 GMT.

A fleet of four aircraft will fly customers to destinations including Alicante, the Canary Islands, the Balearic Islands, Greece and Cyprus.

Airport chief executive John Irving said it was the biggest development for the airport in 20 years.

"It's big for us, it's big for the region," he said.

"Its a ground-breaking moment akin to what happened 20 years ago when Easyjet came here."

He said the airport was now able to offer "much more choice for our passengers" and the arrival of the tour operator had "set us up for the future".

Jet2 chief executive Steve Heapy said the response to the new services had been "nothing short of phenomenal".

Mr Heapy said: "Bookings have remained consistently strong since launch, and the feedback we have received has left us in no doubt that making this move was the right one."

He added that the company had experienced "huge demand from customers and independent travel agents" since launching the new services.

The company said the new programme would equate to about 565,000 seats over the summer.

More than 200 jobs had been created by Jet2's arrival in Liverpool, the travel firm said.

The new service will involve up to 54 weekly flights from Liverpool John Lennon Airport, including 12 weekly trips to the Canary Islands and the Balearic Islands.

The company will also be flying to Turkey, Bulgaria, Portugal and Madeira.

Jet2 said it was planning to further expand the services offered from Liverpool in summer 2025, with additional aircraft coming into operation.

Why not follow BBC Merseyside on Facebook, X and Instagram? You can also send story ideas to [email protected]