UK low-cost giant easyJet has announced a brand new route to Istanbul from its northern England base in Manchester.
The route marks the return of the airline to the Turkish city after 6 years, when easyJet last operated here.
Flights are expected to kick off on June 9th and will operate twice weekly on Monday and Friday, giving travellers options for either a cheap weekend away or cheap week or so vacation in Turkey’s largest city.
The flights are now available on the airline’s website. In addition to this, easyJet Holiday options are also available to book too.
The launch of the Istanbul service joins easyJet’s existing Manchester to Turkey routes, with the others being Antalya and Dalaman.
As well as this, it also joins easyJet’s now growing list of total Turkey destinations that are offered from other UK airports including Bodrum and Izmir.
Istanbul also marks the 156th destination offered by the UK LCC, as the airline continues to re-grow and subsequently expand, coming out of the pandemic.
Head to head competition
EasyJet’s new route from Manchester to Istanbul, will mean the airline will go head to head with Turkish flag carrier, Turkish Airlines, who at present offer 18 flights a week between the two cities.
Demand for the destination is clearly strong, however, with Turkish even deploying the likes of the A330 and 787-9 Dreamliner on a regular basis. This means easyJet will have a chance at snatching up a fair amount of demand.
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On top of this, easyJet joining the route will mean a cheaper option for customers and could very well provoke a decrease in prices offered by Turkish in order to remain competitive on the route.
Praising the route launch, Ali Gayward, easyJet’s UK Country Manager said: “The new route from our Manchester base to this iconic city further expands the choice we can offer our customers from the North West for both flights and package holidays.”
“It promises to offer travellers a vibrant and culturally rich destination to explore as well as providing greater connectivity to the city to support inbound tourism and business travel alike”.
He then added: “While this region has thankfully not been affected by the recent tragic earthquakes, we continue to collect donations onboard our flights for UNICEF’s emergency appeal.”
“We would like to thank all of our customers who have already donated for their kindness and generosity in raising over £400,000, which will help UNICEF and their volunteers to continue providing a vital lifeline in the region for the children and families who have been affected by the earthquake in Turkey and Syria”.
A Vibrant City
Istanbul is a famous city straddling two continents and can be known as the point where East meets West.
With a rich history behind it, Istanbul is likely to prove very popular with easyJet customers as it offers a variety of experiences for tourists. Such attractions include the old city, landmarks such as the Blue Mosque or they visit the Grand Bazaar.
Either way, easyJet has added a key city to its route network joining existing key cities on the map such as Paris, Amsterdam and Milan and the airline may go as far as to expand its presence there in the coming months/years adding perhaps a connection to other UK hubs such as Gatwick and Bristol.
