Description
Jet2.com’s origin dates back to the early 1970s and the creation of Carpenter’s
Air Services, which contracted space on Intra Airways’ cargo aircraft to ship fresh
flowers and produce from Guernsey to the UK mainland. Subsequent expansion
led to the creation of Express Air Services, with the introduction of passenger
charter flights and acquisition of the first Royal Mail contract. The Dart Group
purchased Express Air Services in 1983 and renamed it Channel Express. The
carrier operated scheduled and ad hoc charter freight services throughout
Europe, the Middle East and North Africa using a variety of aircraft. In October
2002, the Dart Group entered the low-cost airline market and launched Jet2.
com, opening bases at Leeds Bradford, Manchester, Belfast International and
Newcastle as the airline grew its route network. Jet2holidays was launched in
2007, offering package holidays which were served by its sister airline. By 2019,
Jet2.com was carrying almost 14.5 million passengers annually, using a fleet of
100 aircraft operating from nine bases. These were increasingly Airbus A321s,
marking a shift away from a predominantly Boeing fleet.
With more than 170 images, this book describes the history of Jet2.com from its
predecessor Express Air Freight, through its growth and transformation into an
award-winning scheduled airline.
