EasyJet celebrates ten years and rising out of Liverpool

Budget airline EasyJet has carried 17.5m passengers through Liverpool John Lennon Airport and generated £160m for the region, the firm said as it celebrated 10 years flying out of the city.

EasyJet has eight aircraft based at Liverpool with flights to 19 destinations and has carried 2m passengers through JLA so far this year.

At one time EasyJet was by far the dominant carrier out of Liverpool, but has faced increasing competition from Irish airline Ryanair over the past two years. EasyJet's services are generally more frequent than Ryanair's, meaning it still often carries the most passengers per month. However, by another measure Ryanair dominates, flying to 43 destinations compared to EasyJet's 19. Ryanair introduced more than 20 new services in the past 18 months.

In November, EasyJet begins services to Lisbon and, in January, Innsbruck will follow. Ryanair will start flying to Valencia from Liverpool at the end of October.

Neil Pakey, managing director of JLA, owned by Peel Holdings, said: "EasyJet and the airport have invested many millions of pounds into the North West economy since 1997 and today represents a huge achievement for all. EasyJet has carried over 17.5 million passengers since they started at Liverpool, and the city and region are indebted to them for putting Liverpool back on the map."

Andy Harrison, EasyJet's chief executive, visiting JLA to mark the occasion, said: "The arrival of EasyJet at Liverpool ten years ago not only provided the region with direct low-fare flights to Europe but also boosted the local economy with its commitment to investment and jobs in the area."

Overseas visitor numbers for Liverpool have tripled in the past three years, according to The Mersey Partnership. One of the reasons it cites for this is the expansion of JLA, which now carries more than 5m passengers a year, and the huge investment EasyJet has made to the number of flights.

EasyJet routes from Liverpool and launch dates over the past ten years: