Easyjet to open operational base at barcelona airport in early 2016

The british Easyjet, the second-largest low-cost carrier in Europe, will upgrade their presence in Barcelona opening a new operational base at Barcelona-El prat airport in February 2016.

The company's permanent base in Barcelona will create 120 new local jobs – mainly for pilots and cabin crew – and will entail the allocation of three a320 airbuses at Barcelona-el prat airport. 

However, Easyjet’s goal is to increase to a workforce of 250 people. Easyjet closed its base in Madrid in 2012 and first announced this future transfer to Barcelona-el prat last June.

The company has been operating in Barcelona el prat for 19 years, transporting a total of approximately 32 million passengers to and from the catalan airport. "It is a natural step for us", said Javier Gándara, director of Easyjet in Spain and Portugal, speaking about the opening of the new operational base in Barcelona. As he explained, it is a "continuation of our strategy" in a market that "we know very well". 

Gándara stressed that Spain is a key market because it represents about 20% of its annual business volume.