No-frills airline easyJet has revealed it is reopening a base in Newcastle nearly five years after shutting the site at the height of the Covid pandemic. The group said it would launch the new base at Newcastle International Airport from next spring, with 130 jobs being created for pilots, crew members and engineers. EasyJet closed its Newcastle base, alongside bases in London Stansted and London Southend, in September 2020, when the pandemic hit the travel sector hard. The move impacted around 670 pilots and crew who worked at the three bases that were closed. Earlier that year, it had revealed plans to cut up to 30% of its workforce as it grappled with the impact of Covid lockdowns and travel restrictions. Kenton Jarvis, easyJet’s chief executive, said: “The UK is an important market for easyJet, and we are excited to be opening yet another UK base, in Newcastle, driven by the demand for our flights and package holidays. “This not only consolidates our position as the UK’s largest leisure airline but will create many skilled jobs and provide critical connectivity for the region, playing an important role in enabling vital economic growth for the UK.” Nick Jones, chief executive at Newcastle Airport, said: “It is fantastic that easyJet has chosen to open a new base at Newcastle Airport in spring 2026 following such strong demand for flights and package holidays from our passengers. “This investment will not only offer greater connectivity with the launch of new routes, but it will also deliver hundreds of thousands of additional low-cost seats and package holidays for our passengers; a significant boost to the local economy by creating high-quality jobs and attract more inbound visitors to the region.” Details on the reopening came as easyJet reported a seasonal headline pre-tax loss of £394 million for the six months to the end of March, widened when compared with losses of £350 million a year earlier. But the firm said it was a “slight improvement” of about £50 million when the later timing of Easter this year was taken into account. Mr Jarvis said: “We continue to see strong demand for easyJet’s flights and holidays, as we attract more customers through our great fares, friendly service and unrivalled network of destinations. “We are executing well against our strategy, to drive efficiency and enhance our customer experience both in the sky and on the ground.” Seasonal demand for air travel means airlines often record losses in the winter followed by profits in the summer. EasyJet said the number of passengers it carried in the first three months of the year was 18.2 million, up 8% compared with a year ago. Its package holiday arm recorded pre-tax profits of £44 million for the six months to March 31. This is a 42% increase year-on-year. “We remain focused on delivering another record summer this year, expecting to drive strong earnings growth as we continue to progress towards our target of sustainably generating over £1 billion of annual profit before tax,” Mr Kenton said.