Summary

  • Jet2.com began as a flower-distributing cargo powerhouse but transitioned to a leisure airline.
  • The leisure carrier significantly grew operations from a few thousand flights in 2003 to over 100,000 in 2023.
  • Over 50 years, Jet2 evolved from a cargo to a passenger-focused airline with a fleet of 126 aircraft serving 79 destinations.

One of the United Kingdom’s largest airlines, Jet2.com, was founded in 1983. Known for its leisure-focused schedules, the company operates low-cost scheduled and charter services to 80 European destinations. Tracing its history to the early 1970s, the carrier has grown from a humble flower distributor to an international airline, serving over 17 million passengers last year.

Tracing its story back to the early 1970s, when entrepreneur Art Carpenter launched a pair of flower-distributing companies, the business grew into a cargo powerhouse known as Channel Express. Jet2 then launched passenger services at the turn of the millennium, earning a yearly revenue of over $3 billion.

The United Kingdom’s Civil Aviation Authority shows that airline operations have significantly grown in the last twenty years. From a few thousand flights in 2003 to over a hundred thousand flights in 2023, the leisure carrier has made great strides in expanding its operations across the continent.

Year

Total passengers

Total flights

Load factor

2003

604,563

5,543

78.9%

2004

1,211,139

11,266

79.1%

2005

2,376,900

24,151

74.5%

2006

2,831,922

26,808

77.2%

2007

3,860,266

34,358

73.6%

2008

3,454,578

27,851

79.4%

2009

3,089,340

24,282

81.6%

2010

3,338,921

24,708

86.3%

2011

4,235,752

29,806

87.3%

2012

4,776,257

32,520

89.0%

2013

5,515,021

36,064

89.8%

2014

6,007,549

39,362

89.0%

2015

5,853,447

36,657

91.3%

2016

6,721,129

41,796

90.8%

2017

9,695,445

58,541

90.6%

2018

12,170,681

70,963

91.4%

2019

14,393,162

82,931

90.9%

2020

2,851,455

20,287

74.8%

2021

3,168,738

27,879

62.9%

2022

15,533,430

92,062

87.8%

2023

17,321,108

100,817

88.9%

A Jet2 Boeing 737 on the runway In Skiathos.

Photo: Markus Mainka | Shutterstock

50 years in the making

​​​​​In 1971, Art Carpenter formed Carpenter’s Air Services and Carpenter’s Transport Ltd. The former was created to carry flowers from Guernsey to the UK mainland, while the latter sent the flowers across the country to wholesalers.

Four years later, Carpenter collaborated with exporters in Guernsey to launch Express Air Freight. The Douglas DC-3 helped the company transport fresh vegetation, flowers, and other cargo between the Channel Islands and the UK.

G-ATDS_HPR7_Dart_Herald_200_Channel_Express_MAN_OCT88_(13753343675)

It didn’t take long for business to show its knack for choosing handy aircraft again. In 1978, the firm took on its first Handley Page Dart Herald, which it used to hop between the Channel Islands and Bournemouth. The following year, Carpenter showed his confidence in growing by creating Express Air Services to handle Express Air Freight’s cargo plane services.

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Domestic triumphs

The new outfit soon bagged a notable contract, with Royal Mail trusting its services to deliver first-class post between Bournemouth, Bristol, and Liverpool. In 1983, pilot Phillip Meeson took over the Express firm, giving birth to a new brand, Channel Express. Meeson remains part of the operation’s leadership today.

Channel Express continued its development with the help of new aircraft arriving, such as the trusted Lockheed Electra in 1989. In 1991, the company was listed on the London Stock Exchange as Dart Group plc. The rise in cargo continued throughout the decade, especially with the delivery of an Airbus A300-B4 in 1996. This widebody twinjet aircraft was then converted into a freighter.

Channel Express Lockheed Electra

A new market

The new century marked a considerable shift for the company. Passenger services were now part of the picture amid the official launch of Jet2. Looking back on its formative passenger-carrying years, the airline explains that:

“Dart Group plc purchased two Boeing 737-300QC ‘Quick Change’ aircraft in May 2001. This new aircraft would go on to inspire the launch of Jet2.com as its ‘Quick Change’ (QC) system can transform from a 148-passenger to a 16-tonne payload freighter aircraft in 30 minutes. We also added new ACAS avionics to our Fokker F27 aircraft, and introduced a tracking IT system for Fowler Welch.”

The carrier was eventually launched in 2002. It subsequently noted that:

“After the success of our chartered service, we announced that the first Jet2 flight will take off in February 2003. Dart Group plc purchased a further eight Boeing 737-300QCs. We also purchased a fourth Airbus A300-B4 for cargo. Jet2.com opened for business on 11th December 2002, [selling] 12,000 seats online within the first 24 hours!

Jet_2_Boeing_737-300,_G-CELR@EDI,28.05.2007-471aa_-_Flickr_-_Aero_Icarus

Taking advantage of the home internet boom, Jet2’s first flight left Leeds Bradford for Amsterdam in February 2003. Expansion was soon on the cards, with seven destinations added before the end of the year. In the years that followed, Manchester, Belfast, and Newcastle all saw Jet2’s presence at their airports.

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Further transitions

Significant changes occurred in the middle of the 2000s, when Channel Express relocated its head offices from Bournemouth to Leeds in 2006. This was followed by the launch of package holiday provider Jet2Holidays in 2007.

Despite the office relocation to Yorkshire, Jet2 dropped its “The north’s low-cost airline” tag in favor of “Friendly low fares” in 2008. This was the same year that the airline launched its first flights to New York, which became a seasonal tradition. The first connected Leeds Bradford (LBA) with Newark (EWR).

Jet2 Boeing 737 (G-GDFG) arriving from Prague, Czech Republic.

Photo: Bradley Caslin | Shutterstock

The growth continued into the 2010s, leading to Jet2 placing a sizable order for 30 new Boeing 737-800 jets. Today, the carrier’s fleet has exceeded the 100-aircraft mark, as we shall examine in further detail shortly.

Like the rest of the aviation industry, the global health crisis took its toll on operations. Nonetheless, the company has shown determination to bounce back, ordering 36 Airbus A321neos in September 2021, an order that later increased by 15 units. In April 2022, it added six more firm orders, totaling 57.

Jet2’s fleet and network today

  • 105 Boeing 737
  • Six Boeing 757
  • 13 Airbus A321
  • Two Airbus A330

Looking at the Leeds-headquartered airline’s current network, data from ch-aviation.com shows that the carrier presently serves 79 destinations across 22 countries. Its main bases are in Alicante, Belfast International, Birmingham, Bristol, East Midlands, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leeds-Bradford, London Stansted, Manchester, Newcastle, and Palma de Mallorca.

A321neo Jet2.com in flight - rendering

Photo: Airbus

As far as Jet2’s fleet is concerned, the Boeing 737-800 remains the dominant force, accounting for 105 of the airline’s 126 aircraft. It also has six 737-300s at its disposal, and two leased Airbus A330-200 widebodies. Its fleet also includes five Airbus A321-200s, eight A321neo, and six Boeing 757-200s.

What do you make of Jet2’s history and journey over the decades? Have you ever flown with an airline? Let us know your thoughts and experiences in the comments.

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