[h=1]Why is easyJet closing its Madrid base?[/h]
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Madrid, June 22 (today): Catherine Lynn, Group Commercial Director, easyJet, addresses the 22nd ACI EUROPE Annual Congress & Exhibition in Madrid. anna.aero estimates that up to 12 routes could be lost by the closure of the Madrid base.
The announcement on 20 June that easyJet plans to close its
Madrid base (but still serve the airport from other bases) got anna.aero curious to see how the airline’s operations at Madrid have evolved, and what competition it actually faces on its network. easyJet first began serving Madrid in September 1998 from London Luton, followed by Liverpool in September 1999, and London Gatwick in September 2002. The airport became a designated base in February 2007 and the number of destinations served rose rapidly.
Source: Innovata data for August 2012
Although easyJet will be serving a record 27 destinations this summer, the average number of daily departures at the airport is still roughly the same as in the summer of 2008. A total of 38 destinations have been served at one time or other. Destinations tried but then abandoned include domestic routes to Asturias, Fuerteventura, Lanzarote and Palma de Mallorca, and international services to Bucharest, Casablanca, Marrakech, Sofia and Tangier. Paris services have switched from Orly to CDG, while Rome services have moved from Ciampino to Fiumicino.
[h=2]easyJet is fourth biggest at Madrid[/h] Analysis of Madrid’s passenger numbers by airline reveals that easyJet’s share of the market has grown from 2% in 2005 to almost 7% in 2011, when the airline carried 3.3 million passengers at the airport. Last year, it overtook Spanair (before its bankruptcy) to become Madrid’s fourth busiest airline, behind Iberia, Ryanair (which opened a base at the airport in November 2006) and Air Europa.
Source: AENA
[h=2]No competition on just four of 27 routes this summer[/h] Analysis of schedule data for the peak summer month of August reveals that of easyJet’s 27 routes, just four (Basel, Bristol, Liverpool, London Luton) are not operated by any other airline. Of the other 23 routes, easyJet goes head-to-head with four airlines on two routes (Mahon and Ibiza), faces three competitors on a further five routes, two competitors on four routes, and a single competitor on the other 12 routes.
Number of competitors | easyJet route (WF) | Competition (WF) |
---|
4 | Ibiza (20)
Mahon (7) | Air Europa (16), Iberia (15), Ryanair (17), Vueling (20)
Air Europa (2), Iberia (10), Ryanair (10), Vueling (14) |
3 | Amsterdam (7)
Copenhagen (4)
Rome FCO* (7)
Geneva* (6)
Lisbon* (14) | Air Europa (13), Iberia (21), KLM (35)
Air Europa (2), Iberia (7), SAS (2)
Air Europa (14), Alitalia (21), Iberia (36)
Air Europa (13), Iberia (22), Swiss (21)
Air Europa (14), Iberia (28), TAP Portugal (40) |
2 | Bilbao (12)
Paris CDG* (14)
Manchester* (4)
Milan Malpensa* (7) | Iberia (35), Ryanair (14)
Air France (48), Vueling (11)
Iberia (5), Ryanair (4)
Air Europa (14), Iberia (21) |
1 | Berlin SXF* (5)
Bordeaux (4)
Dubrovnik (3)
Edinburgh* (10)
Heraklion (2)
La Coruna (6)
London LGW* (27)
Lyon* (7)
Naples (5)
Olbia (3)
Toulouse* (6)
Venice (4) | Iberia (19 to TXL)
Iberia (14)
Iberia (5)
Iberia (2)
Iberia (2)
Iberia (38)
Air Europa (14)
Iberia (12)
Iberia (12)
Iberia (6)
Iberia (24)
Iberia (23) |
0 | Basel* (7)
Bristol* (4)
Liverpool* (7)
London Luton* (12) | |
Source: Innovata data for August 2012
* Denotes easyJet bases | | |