In the coming months, London Luton Airport (LTN) is set to welcome the Kuwaiti low-cost carrier, Jazeera Airways. This would mark the return of the carrier to London after a few years, as the airline had previously operated flights to another London airport.

Upon launching this route, it would also become the longest passenger service of LTN, both in terms of distance covered and flight duration. This would also be the carrier’s longest route, and the fourth European city to which the airline flies.

Luton’s Upcoming Long-Haul Route

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Starting July 8, Kuwaiti low-cost carrier Jazeera Airways will be operating direct services to London’s Luton Airport. With the route marketed with a block time of nearly seven hours, this will not only be the airline’s longest route, but the longest route for LTN as well. The carrier will initially operate this route four times weekly, before increasing the frequency and turning it into a daily service.

The airline will be connecting Kuwait International Airport (KWI) with Luton, using the following itineraries in both directions:

As per the airline’s booking engine, the route will be operated on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays during July, and starting August 1, the route will be served daily. Upon launching this service, it will mark the return of the carrier to London, as Jazeera had previously served Gatwick Airport in 2019.

The airline will be utilizing its fleet of Airbus A320 family aircraft, split into the classic A320 and the A320neo jets. The carrier has configured these aircraft with business and economy cabins, and according to the airline’s website, the first few rows of the economy cabin are marked as “Priority Seats”.

Luton’s Current Longest Routes

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Luton Airport remains a major low-cost carrier hub within London, with carriers such as Ryanair, easyJet, and Wizz Air, all having bases in LTN. Therefore, it comes as no surprise that the majority of the routes offered from the airport are short-haul or regional, with flights mainly connecting to other European destinations. However, the airport also offers a limited number of connections to North Africa, and to the Eastern Europe / Western Asia region.

Beyond this, the airport currently offers flights to four long-haul destinations in the Middle East region. This includes services to Hurghada (the current longest route), Sharm el-Sheikh, and Giza, in Egypt, along with Tel Aviv, Israel.

Therefore, upon welcoming Jazeera, Luton will have a new longest route and direct connections to a fifth Middle Eastern destination.

Furthermore, when evaluating the broader Middle East – London market, the arrival of Jazeera further indicates a growing demand for low-cost travel within this particular market. This is indicative because earlier this year, another low-cost carrier, Air Arabia, was due to launch direct services from Sharjah to Gatwick. However, this did not come to fruition due to ongoing regional disruptions.

A Good Mix Of Commercial & Charter Operations

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While London’s other airports, such as London Gatwick Airport (LGW), London Heathrow Airport (LHR), and London Stansted Airport (STN), are primarily known for their global connectivity with commercial airlines, Luton stands out because it also hosts a considerable number of charter operations.

Although the other London airports do handle charter services, it can often be difficult to get slots at these airports due to the existing slot-congested nature of these airports. Additionally, operating into these airports can incur much higher charges as well. Therefore, airports such as Luton and Biggin Hill (no commercial operations) are convenient alternatives for charter operations to and from London.

As per the airport’s website, Luton houses two VIP FBOs (Fixed-Based Operators) – Signature Aviation and Harrods Aviation, which can handle charter and private jet operations. FBOs are essentially companies that provide various services at an airport, which range from fuel supplies to luggage handling, passenger/crew services, and more. Within the space of charter aviation, this can often include VIP terminals for passengers traveling on charter flights to use before and after a flight, where customers can get privacy, away from the passengers and operations of a commercial terminal.