The airline says this will offer an additional 16,000 seats throughout the winter with flights set to launch on 6 November 2024, operating twice weekly on Wednesdays and Saturdays. This comes at a time when there is a juxtaposition between the holiday demand increasing and local opposition to more tourism.
Javier Gándara, General Director of easyJet in Southern Europe, said: "We are delighted to announce that our route between Menorca and London Gatwick will now operate all year round. This extension to the winter season not only underlines our commitment to sustained growth in Spain, but also demonstrates our dedication to the local community in Menorca.
At easyJet, we understand the importance of international connectivity and are proud to contribute to the island's strategy of year-round connectivity to London and beyond."
Adolfo Vilafranca, President of the Consell Insular de Menorca, said: "We are demonstrating our work with concrete facts: this agreement is the result of a lot of hard work and good will to connect the island even more in the low season, guaranteeing international routes during the winter months.
Being able to have this air route that allows us to be directly connected to London, is the answer to a popular demand in two directions: both from residents of the island who want to fly to the British capital, and from those the United Kingdom who want to visit us between November and March, that is, away from the summer. We are focused on moving towards a sustainable season throughout the year. In fact, the promotional activities agreed with easyJet will be linked to Menorca's culture, active tourism, gastronomy and nature.”
Menorca attracts around 1.5 million tourists each year, mostly during the summer months, so opening up more travel options in the quieter months, may spread visitor numbers throughout the year. However, the reaction visitors may get is becoming less certain. In recent months more than a thousand locals have attended protests against tourists and tourism on the island. GOB Menorca has criticised the 'colonising tourism' in particular the increased number of holiday rentals including airbnb accommodations. Other areas are blocking tourists from walking down streets between 8pm and 11am, with plans to ban them altogether for the month of August.
