At a news conference in Lisbon, the UK-based company said the investment of about €75 million in Porto would enable it to add one of the three new routes, between that city and Funchal, with four flights a week each way from 20 May. The other two new routes are Lisbon-Nantes and Faro-Lyons, both to start in mid-April.


What with the increase frequency on existing routes out of Porto, the company hopes to raise its total passenger numbers by some 14% to five million next year, from about 4.3 million this year.


According to its marketing director for Portugal, José Lopes, the stationing in Porto of the new Airbus A320 will create 40 new jobs.
Easyjet started operations in Portugal in 1998, and currently flies in and out of the country's five main airports, Lisbon, Faro, Funchal, Porto and Ponta Delgada, on 51 routes.