Brest, April 23rd, 2024 – Volotea, the airline connecting small and medium-sized European cities, continues its strategic expansion in France by announcing the official opening of its base at Brest Bretagne Airport during a local press conference last Wednesday, April 18th. This marks the airline's 20th base in its network and the 9th in the French market.

After over a decade of operating in Brest, Volotea now offers travelers from the region a choice of 18 destinations to five countries: France, Spain, Portugal, Italy, and Greece. This year, the airline is set to reach a milestone, offering its largest-ever capacity from the airport with over 355,000 seats available—a 188% increase from 2023. Notably, 35% of these seats are dedicated to island routes, further strengthening essential links between the islands and the European mainland.

Since 2013, the airline has carried around 700,000 passengers to and from Brest Bretagne Airport and recorded a 90% seat load factor on its flights to and from the region, proving the relevance of its route offer and the confidence of passengers in its services. To support this growth, Volotea has based an Airbus A320 aircraft at the airport and created around 30 direct and nearly 170 indirect jobs, enabling it to play an important economic and social role in the region.

"The opening of our base in Brest, the 9th in France and 20th in Europe, is much more than an expansion; it's a testimony to our commitment to the connectivity, attractiveness, and dynamic nature of the Brest area, located at the tip of Brittany. Since our creation, we've been working to build bridges between regional capitals in France and Europe. Now, more than a decade since our operations in the region started, Brest has become an essential link in this chain. This opening represents not only an opportunity for our passengers but also a catalyst for local economic development, creating jobs and boosting tourism in the region. We are proud of this anchorage and the significant growth of our offer at the airport. We are honored to strengthen our partnership with the region, and extend our thanks to Brest Airport for its trust. Together, we are opening up new avenues of connectivity for Brest and its inhabitants, and we share the vision of offering the world to the people of Brittany," said Carlos Muñoz, Founder and CEO of Volotea.

"This is a historic event for Brest Airport and Brittany, which will enable the region to expand its international influence. Our motto, "Offering the world to Bretons and Brittany to the world," takes on its full meaning with this achievement. Thank you to Volotea for supporting us in this endeavor," added Claude Arphexad, Director of Brest Bretagne Airport.

By opening this new base, Volotea strengthens its presence at the airport and reaffirms its role as the leader in domestic connectivity in France, its largest market. With 60% of its operations based in France, the airline offers more than 270 routes, 55% of which face no competition. Volotea intends to continue to play an important economic and social role in France across its nine bases (Nantes, Bordeaux, Strasbourg, Toulouse, Marseille, Lyon, Lille, Lourdes, and Brest), supporting over 900 direct jobs this year.

Globally, for 2024, Volotea estimates it will reach 450 routes and expects to offer between 12.5 and 13 million seats, representing an increase of 12% to 16% compared to 2023. The airline also expects to carry 12 million passengers and operate around 80,000 flights.

ABOUT VOLOTEA

Volotea was founded in 2011 by Carlos Muñoz and Lázaro Ros, also previously founders of Vueling. It is one of the fastest-growing independent airlines in Europe in the last decade, increasing its fleet, routes served, and seats offered year-on-year. This year, the airline celebrated a milestone of carrying 60 million passengers throughout its network.

Volotea reaches 110 airports and is based in 21 medium-sized European capitals: Asturias, Athens, Bari (new for 2024), Bilbao, Bordeaux, Brest (new for 2024), Cagliari, Florence, Hamburg, Lille, Lyon, Lourdes, Marseille, Nantes, Naples, Olbia, Palermo, Strasbourg, Toulouse, Venice, and Verona.

This year, Volotea will operate nearly 450 routes (with over half exclusive), offer between 12.5M and 13M seats (+12% to +16% versus 2023), and fly approximately 80,000 flights. The airline operates a fleet of 44 Airbus A319 and A320.

Volotea is working towards achieving a more sustainable future in aviation. The airline is set to achieve its target of reducing direct CO2 emissions per passenger-kilometer by 50% by 2025, five years ahead of the initial schedule. Furthermore, the airline has set a new and even more ambitious goal: to decrease emissions by 58% by 2030. To date, Volotea has launched over 50 sustainability initiatives that have already driven a reduction in carbon footprint per passenger and kilometer by more than 45%. Since 2022, the company has been working on developing emission-free alternative technologies, operating Airbus' internal shuttle service with 34% sustainable aviation fuel and collaborating with manufacturers and the industry so that these fuels (now difficult to access) can be developed and become widespread as soon as possible. 

Volotea, with a projected workforce of approximately 2,060 employees this year, actively boosts connectivity within the territories where it is based while contributing to their economic development and enriching the cultural landscape through impactful sponsorship projects.

Volotea was awarded a four-star rating in 2024 and recognized by Skytrax in its global passenger satisfaction survey as the “Best Low-Cost Airline in Europe” at the 2023 World Airline Awards, referred to by media worldwide as “the Oscars of the aviation industry.” The airline adds this accolade to its growing list of achievements, which includes consecutive wins for "Europe’s Leading Low-Cost Airline" at the World Travel Awards in 2021, 2022, and 2024.

For more information visit: https://www.volotea.com/en/press-room/
press@volotea.com
Tel: 93 117 17 77