Holiday group Jet2 has brought forward the launch of its 2024/25 winter sun programme from Bristol Airport in response to strong demand as the travel sector continues to recover from the impact of the pandemic.
Jet2 said independent travel agents as well as holidaymakers across the South West wanted to book in advance to get the best choice of dates, rooms and resorts, as well spread the cost as household budgets remain under pressure.
The group’s decision to launch the programme earlier than ever came as budget airline easyJet announced another new route from Bristol Airport, where it is the largest operator.
The airline is to launch the twice-weekly service to Marrakech in October, taking its total number of destinations from Bristol to 69. That figure will reach 70 for the first time later this year when it adds Chania in Crete to its network.
EasyJet, which has 17 aircraft based at Bristol, will compete against holiday group TUI on the Marrakech. TUI itself recently introduced a new summer 2024 destination and increased frequency on some of its established routes from Bristol Airport next year.
In total the group, which includes the First Choice and Marella Cruises brands, will fly to 31 destinations in 11 countries from Bristol.
Jet2, the UK’s largest tour operator, began operating from Bristol Airport in 2021, with three aircraft flying 33 destinations.
Its 2025/24 winter sun programme will include up to 35 flights departing weekly flights to destinations including the Canary Islands (Tenerife, Lanzarote, Gran Canaria and Fuerteventura), Spain (Alicante and Malaga), Majorca (Palma), Portugal (Faro and Madeira), Turkey (Antalya), Cyprus (Paphos) and Malta. 
Jet2.com and Jet2holidays CEO Steve Heapy said: “The early release of our winter sun programme for 24/25 comes in direct response to the strong demand we are seeing.
“In addition to giving customers the chance to book their winter sunshine nice and early, the size and scale of our programme means we are offering fantastic choice and flexibility.
“For this reason, we are confident that this new programme will prove extremely popular as people look to escape the cold and gloom of the UK in winter and chase the sunshine.
“We are looking ahead with real confidence and are very excited to be able to share further good news about our Winter 24/25 programme from Bristol Airport soon.”
Meanwhile easyJet UK country manager Ali Gayward said adding Marrakech to its network from Bristol would give customers across the South West even more choice when planning their holidays.
“EasyJet is proud to be the largest airline at Bristol and the launch of this new route demonstrates our confidence in the resilient strength of demand for travel in the UK, with customers choosing us for our trusted brand, unrivalled network and great value fares and we can’t wait to welcome more customers on board,” she added.
Bristol Airport expects to handle around 9.9m passengers during 2023 – nudging the 10m figure for the first time since 2019.
