Easyjet : U2 : EZY..

UK low-cost carrier easyJet (U2) anticipates flying a substantial proportion of business passengers on its new London Gatwick (LGW)-Moscow Domodedovo (DME) service.

The route, which was recently awarded to U2 by the UK Civil Aviation Authority (ATW Daily News, Oct. 25), will launch in spring 2013.

U2 anticipates flying more than 230,000 passengers on the sector in its first year of operation. It will operate 2X-daily flights.

Since the start of the global recession, U2 has seen increasing numbers of cost-cutting business travelers using its services.

Currently, around 19%-20% of its passengers fly on business, although this figure can rise as high as 40%-45% on certain routes, such as those between London and Scottish airports.

U2 anticipates the LGW-DME route will attract a respectable percentage of business travelers: “Moscow is a key business center,” a U2 spokeswoman said.

LGW is a major business airport for U2, which estimates 2 million business travelers pass through each year to a series of major commercial and administrative centers such as Milan, Rome and Luxembourg.

U2 will begin 3X-weekly LGW-Santiago, Spain service June 18, 2013, and will launch 2X-weekly LGW- Kalamata, Greece July 6, 2013.