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Steve Heapy

Chief Executive Officer, Jet2

Search every verified Steve Heapy interview, podcast appearance, and on-the-record quote — each transcript cross-checked by AI and human review to confirm speaker identity. Steve Heapy, CEO of Jet2.com and Jet2Holidays, has been active in expanding the company's operations, including the launch of a new base at London Luton Airport in April 2025, which he described as the company's 13th base. Heapy stated that Jet2 has a history of growing quickly at its bases and expressed hope to do the same at Luton. He also discussed the company's financial performance, noting that Jet2 had increased its ATOL license to 5.85 million customers, making it the UK's largest tour operator, a position he attributed to the company's focus on being "the best" rather than "the biggest." Heapy has been a vocal critic of government taxation and sustainability policies. He argued that the UK government's Emissions Trading Scheme raised approximately £450 million but said the funds should be "ring fenced and used specifically for green or decarbonizing projects." He warned that rising taxes on aviation would price lower-income consumers out of flying, stating that "flying will become the preserve of the rich and privileged." During the COVID-19 pandemic, Heapy expressed frustration with government travel restrictions, describing the removal of Portugal from the green list as "devastated, angry, confused" and calling for more decisive action. He has also emphasized the importance of cash reserves and financial robustness, advising against gambling on a strong late-season market and urging the industry to build long-term businesses capable of weathering disruptions.

Recent appearances

Notable quotes

“it depends really if it's a late market then it may be the case that there is some discounting but you know we you have to be careful not to sort of lead the market don't you? If you start discounting too early then you condition people to expect discounting closer to your departure and it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy that it's a late market. So, you know, people have to try and hold the nerve and not start a d”

“because otherwise it's just another demand management mechanism whereby prices keep going up for air travel and when prices go up demand will drop and you know I think we got to be very very wary of this because if prices keep coming up demand will drop and who are the people that will not be booking it's the people at the lower income ends of the scale and I think it's disgraceful that people at the lower end of the”

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