easyJet to Ramp Up Services from Scotland

easyJet is stepping up services from Scotland next year by adding an eighth aircraft to its base at Edinburgh airport.

New routes to Vienna and Venice will operate from the Scottish capital while Glasgow will gain a connection to Marseille.

The budget carrier flew 5.5 million passengers between Scotland and other parts of Europe in the year to September and expects this to grow by 10% in 2016.

The airline employs 435 crew in Scotland - 159 in Glasgow and 276 in Edinburgh.

easyJet expects to have more than 300 staff based in Edinburgh including pilots, cabin crew and base management with the addition of the eighth aircraft. The Edinburgh network will grow to 36 routes by next summer.

Chief executive, Carolyn McCall, said: "Just over 20 years ago we launched the airline with services between Luton and Glasgow. Twenty years on Scotland remains an important part of our strategy and we continue to see an opportunity for growth in Scotland.

"In the past four years we have grown our capacity in Scotland by 20% and 2015 has been an impressive year for easyJet in Scotland - we now operate 62 routes from Scotland across Europe.

"This eighth aircraft that we are putting into our Edinburgh operations from summer 2016, will accommodate the extra routes we have put on sale and the extra demand."

Scottish first minister, Nicola Sturgeon, said: "Improving Scotland's connectivity is one of this government's top priorities, as it will help build strong business links and provide a real boost to our tourism industry.

"easyJet's latest announcement of new routes and a new aircraft for Edinburgh, along with the new direct jobs this will create, is evidence of their continued investment in our airports and I remain keen to support their aspirations to expand in Scotland."