In opening two bases at Nice and Toulouse in France, EasyJet hopes to gain the advantage over Air France as it battles with the flag carrier for French regions.
In October, Air France launched its plan to expand in the French regions, opening a regional base in Marseille serving 13 new routes. This will be followed by similar bases in Nice, Toulouse and Bordeaux.
But EasyJet has accelerated its own French regional growth strategy. By putting two Airbus A319s at each of the new southern locations, EasyJet will operate an additional five routes from both Nice and Tolouse. The low-cost carrier hopes to secure market share before Air France begins its new flight from Nice and Toulouse next year.
EasyJet says low-cost penetration in French aviation compared with the European average gives "vast amounts of room to grow". The airline estimates about a quarter of French domestic and European short-haul flying is the low-cost carrier segment compared with about 50% in the UK market. Spanish low-cost carrier Vueling has also this year upped its presence in France, launching a base in Toulouse.
Henri de Peyrelongue, senior vice-president of Air France, says bookings on its services from Marseille since July have been "very positive".
Source: Airline Business
