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easyJet eyes Copenhagen as base
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November 7th, 2011
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Government keen to attract airline’s investment but easyJet says there is no guarantee of starting Copenhagen base
Budget airline easyJet is considering establishing a base in Copenhagen from which to expand its operations, Politiken newspaper reports.
The news comes less than a week after the airline added three weekly flights to Lisbon, easyJet’s ninth destination from Kastrup Airport’s low cost terminal, CPH GO.
The trade and investment minister, Pia Olsen Dyhr, announced that the airline was interested in Copenhagen after meeting with easyJet representatives last week in London.
“EasyJet is seriously considering Denmark as a site for establishing a larger base for their planes and creating jobs,” Dyhr said.
The message was echoed by easyJetÂ’s regional general manager of northern Europe, Thomas Haagensen.
“Copenhagen is clearly in a group of airports that we are focussing on because of the potential for growth and expansion,” Haagensen told Politiken. “When you look at demand, Copenhagen fits well within our strategy.”
Copenhagen is one of easyJetÂ’s more successful destinations, achieving an annual growth in passenger numbers of almost 20 percent, as opposed to an average of 12 percent.
But while Lisbon was announced this Saturday as the airlineÂ’s 23rd European base, there is no guarantee that Copenhagen will be the next.
“There are some provisions that need to be met and there are other airports that are being considered. But Copenhagen is definitely on easyJet’s radar,” Haagensen told Politiken.
One of the conditions would be allowing easyJet to park some of its airplanes at Kastrup overnight, which Politiken estimated would create about 100 jobs.
According to Dyhr, the government is keen to accommodate easyJetÂ’s demands in order to secure the investment.
“I have always said that the government is always willing to negotiate and get things to happen,” Dyhr said.
EasyJet has been flying from Copenhagen since 1998 and flies one million passengers in and out of the city annually.
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