Also on the UK side, easyJet, its country’s largest airline, plans to mark its 30th birthday on 10 November 2025. This milestone celebrates the anniversary of that historic first plunge, from Luton Airport to Glasgow. Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou established the airline at age 28. Since then, it has fundamentally shifted the nature of air travel across Europe. Retrofitted onto an existing fleet with a fleet that started out exclusively Boeing 737s, EasyJet eventually embraced Airbus jets to smooth out their network and improve their offering.
The first EasyJet flight took off at 07:00 GMT, setting the stage for what would become a major player in the aviation industry. Over the decades, EasyJet has expanded its operations, now boasting over 356 aircraft and more than 1,200 routes across Europe. The airline serves almost 2,000 flights per day at its highest summer peak. It provides direct employment for some 19,000 other personnel, 3,847 of which are based at Luton itself.
Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou, EasyJet’s founder. He did a lot of research both in the United States and from that he learned a lot about low-cost air travel. His dream was to bring the magic of flying within reach of the wider public, an aspiration that has struck a chord with generations of travelers. While EasyJet should rightly celebrate this milestone, the company’s most important challenges lie ahead, especially when it comes to its climate impact.
Until the past few years, it has taken EasyJet little responsibility for the harms its operations have caused to climate change. In 2024 alone, that airline emitted the equivalent of about eight million passenger cars. Captain David Morgan, EasyJet’s chief operating officer and one of its pilots, noted the difficulties inherent in reducing aviation’s carbon footprint.
“It’s widely known that aviation is one of the most difficult sectors to decarbonise, because of the energy you need to power a commercial aeroplane.” – Captain David Morgan
Though these concerns persist, EasyJet has done their part by committing to net-zero emissions by 2050. The airline is taking a more proactive approach to exploring sustainable practices and technologies to reduce its environmental impact as it pursues nearly-decarbonized, profitable future growth. In 2026 the company intends to establish new bases in New Castle and Marrakech. With this decision, they double down on their explicit commitment to extend their service network deeper.
Cathy Adams, a long-time employee of EasyJet, recounts her experiences from the early days of the airline. She remembers the quick tempo of the flying ops and creativity of ways they circumvented standard procedures to improve efficiency in the process.
“From the time the aircraft landed and took off again, we only had 20 minutes to get everybody off, people and bags back on, and refuel if necessary.” – Cathy Adams
Adams reflects on how customer experiences have evolved over time. Previously, travelers used reusable plastic boarding cards. Although this innovation mainly streamlined check-in, it greatly sped up the entire boarding process.
“We didn’t have printed boarding cards, we had plastic ones that we reused. It was much quicker to check in and board people.” – Cathy Adams
EasyJet’s history is a story of all the changes our aviation industry has seen over the past thirty years. Business consultant Jane Boulton, a specialist in marketing and brand strategy, referred to Haji-Ioannou’s long-term strategic vision for the airline.
“Stelios is a very clever man; he couldn’t have had a better marketing strategy.” – Jane Boulton
EasyJet is charging ahead with a sense of purpose. It wants to keep up with the operational success and, most importantly, the track record as Europe’s most loved airline. It’s now coming under fire for a concerning environmental record and lack of meaningful sustainability efforts. George Hibberd, an industry analyst, emphasizes the importance of connecting cultures through aviation while recognizing the need for change.
“Aviation has connected cultures all around the world; it’s a true gift.” – George Hibberd
Yet he cautions about the current trajectory of the industry.
“The direction the industry is going is on the wrong flight path.” – George Hibberd