Low-cost carrier easyJet has taken many by surprise in announcing that it will close its operating base at Toulouse-Blagnac Airport (TLS) in Southwest France. The announcement comes as the carrier plans other changes to its French route network citing sluggish post-COVID recovery and the prevailing economic situation in France and across Europe for its change of strategy in the country.
The airline’s base in Toulouse, which has been operational for over 10 years, is expected to be wound down after the northern winter of 2024/25, with the two based aircraft (both Airbus A320s) to be redeployed to other bases within the company’s French operation, namely Nantes (NTE) and Lyon (LYS) Airports, for the summer season of 2025.
At the time of writing, it remains unclear how the closure of the base and the removal of the two aircraft will affect the overall operation at the airport. The airline undertakes a comprehensive French domestic network from the airport with flights serving Paris, Nice, Nantes, Lyon, Lille, Mulhouse, and Rennes. Additionally, it serves airports across Europe including destinations in Italy, Morocco, Spain, Germany, Switzerland, and Portugal. It also flies to two points in the UK – London-Gatwick (LGW) and Bristol (BRS).
The airline is currently the third-largest operator from Toulouse Airport with an 18.4% capacity share of traffic. Air France is the largest airline at the airport with 24%, while Ryanair has 21.4%. The airline has stated that it will maintain its planned flight schedule from the airport for the forthcoming winter season with any changes coming into effect at the end of March 2025 in line with the start of the IATA summer scheduling season.
“easyJet is committed to continuing to serve Toulouse as a destination and to offering flights to Toulouse, connecting the city to major destinations in France and internationally,” said a statement issued by the airline.
According to The Connexion, the announcement by easyJet will result in 125 staff based at the airport losing their jobs at the airport. However, the company has offered all the affected employees a relocation package to other French airports where EasyJet operates, should they be willing to relocate.
“Together with our social partners, we will provide all our employees in Toulouse the opportunity to transfer to one of our six other bases in France as we highly value our team’s experience and skills,” said Bertrand Godinot, easyJet’s Country Manager for France.
“We will also ensure that those who are unable to leave Toulouse are supported in their search for new roles. Our proposal does not include any compulsory redundancies, and during this consultation, our people will remain our priority,” Godinot added.
Other changes on the way
With economic pressures affecting the airline industry across France, easyJet confirmed further changes to its operations in France are on the way. According to the carrier, it is planning the transfer of an aircraft from Paris-Charles de Gaulle (CDG) to Paris-Orly (ORY) to bolster the airport south of the capital city. Additionally, the carrier has instigated a process of limited voluntary redundancies for cabin crew based at three of the airline’s other French airports.
EasyJet currently operates from six other French bases alongside the one maintained in Toulouse. These are located at Paris-Orly, Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Lyon, Nice (NCE), Bordeaux (BOD), and Nantes (NTE). The airline is yet to reveal which of these other bases will be affected by the redundancy program.
The announcement came as a surprise to many, given that the budget airline has been seeing an increase in its business in the French market in recent times. Over the forthcoming winter, the company is predicting an increase of 5% in traffic numbers from its six base airports and is currently the second busiest airline in France.
However, the French market is proving troublesome for another of Europe’s low-cost megacarriers, Ryanair. The Irish airline is closing its base at Bordeaux-Mérignac Airport at the end of October 2024 due to a dispute with the airport operator over fees which the parties were unable to resolve.
