Leeds Firm Jet2 to Move to Main Stock Market

The Leeds-headquartered holiday firm is stepping up to the London Stock Exchange’s Main Market, as strong summer bookings underline how far the business has grown

Jet2, the Leeds-headquartered package holiday and airline group, is to graduate to the top tier of the London stock market. The company, run from Holiday House in Ingram Street, announced its intention to move from AIM, London’s junior growth market, to the Main Market of the London Stock Exchange, a significant milestone for one of the city’s largest businesses. It came as the group reported strong summer trading, with bookings running well ahead of last year. The Board said the move reflects the scale the business has reached as the UK’s biggest tour operator and third-largest airline.

Why This Matters For Leeds

This is a Leeds business success story reaching a genuine landmark. Moving to the Main Market is a mark of scale and maturity that opens the company to a far wider pool of major investors, and reflects years of rapid growth. A company of this size headquartered on Ingram Street means significant local employment, profile and economic weight. A homegrown firm stepping up to sit alongside the country’s largest listed companies is exactly the kind of ambition the city wants to be known for.

Why Jet2 Is Moving Up

The company has grown its revenue at a compound annual rate of 19% over the past decade, building a network of 14 UK airport bases from which more than 90% of the population is within a 90-minute drive. The Board said that scale, and its confidence in future growth, made now the right time to leave AIM after many years, describing the move as a natural next step that will raise the company’s visibility with institutional investors. Admission to the Main Market is intended to happen before the end of the current financial year and is a notable shift, showing that a business of this size moving up is a vote of confidence in its own prospects as much as a change of listing.

“This is the right time to announce our intention to move to the Main Market, reflecting the scale of the business we have built, our proven track record of delivery and the opportunities that lie ahead.”

— Steve Heapy, Chief Executive Officer, Jet2 plc

Summer Bookings Fuel Confidence

The listing plan came alongside an upbeat trading update. Summer 2026 seat capacity is 7.6% higher than last year at 19.9 million seats. A key measure of how full the planes are ran 1.5 percentage points ahead of last summer, which the company put down to disciplined management and attractive pricing, even as holidaymakers increasingly book closer to departure. Its newer London Gatwick operation is performing ahead of expectations, prompting the group to expand there, and winter capacity is already running 8% higher. The business is also well protected on costs, having hedged most of its fuel and currency needs for the year. Steady demand and a stronger balance sheet give Jet2 confidence heading into the winter, with fuller results due in November.