Summary
- easyJet will begin a twice-weekly winter service from London Gatwick to Luxor.
- It will replace London Luton-Hurghada as the carrier’s longest London winter route by distance.
- Luxor is easyJet’s ninth airport addition in 2024.
Beginning in November, easyJet will fly to Luxor from Gatwick, the airline’s most-served airport. The Egyptian airport will rejoin its portfolio after 11 years. When the route takes off, it will be easyJet’s longest service – by distance only – from London. If that’s insufficient, it will also surpass all UK capital offerings operated by Ryanair and Wizz Air. However, it will ‘only’ be easyJet’s 11th-longest route across its entire network.
easyJet’s new longest London service
Starting on November 11, the new Gatwick-Luxor route will operate twice-weekly. On a great circle basis, it will cover 2,144 nautical miles (3,971 km) each way. It is scheduled as follows, with all times local. It will be a very long day for the crew and take up an aircraft’s entire day, offset by winter, with lower demand and aircraft use.
- Gatwick-Luxor: EZY8749, 09:00/09:05-16:20/16:25 (5h 20m block)
- Luxor-Gatwick: EZY8750, 17:15-21:10 (5h 55m)
Image: GCMap
easyJet served the route between 2009 and 2013 when the A320ceo was deployed. Now, it will presumably be on the much more fuel-efficient A320neo. easyJet Holidays will be vital to driving sales. The airline will join both TUI Airways from Gatwick to Luxor (737 MAX 8; weekly) and EgyptAir from Heathrow (A320neo; weekly).
Until Luxor was announced, Luton-Hurghada was to be easyJet’s number one London route by distance this winter. However, Gatwick-Luxor has exceeded it by just nine nautical miles (17 km) each way – an increase of 0.41%. As the difference is so insignificant, it may not be number one on a real-world basis.
Things are different for time. While Luxor back to Gatwick (with headwinds) has a maximum block time of 5h 55m, it’s up to 10 minutes shorter than Hurghada-Luton. It provides a reminder that the measurement dictates the results. Neither route is anywhere near long enough to make the world’s longest narrowbody services list.
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Ninth airport to join portfolio in 2024
As of July 18, the following airports have been added to easyJet’s route map in 2024. More than half are brand-new, notably Sal in Cape Verde. The others were served before, but none saw its jets in 2023.
- City of Derry – brand-new
- Djerba – brand-new
- Luxor – resumed; last served in 2013
- Oslo – resumed; last served in 2020
- Reus – resumed; last served in 2020
- Sal – brand-new
- Salerno – brand-new
- Strasbourg – resumed; last served in 2016
- Tromsø – brand-new