The budget airline’s shock decision to stop flying from East Midlands Airport and scale back its Luton operation also threatens about 250 jobs.
Up to 1.5 million passengers will suffer after easyJet revealed plans to axe 360 flights a week.
Union leaders were alarmed by the moves, which follow cuts by arch-rival Ryanair at Manchester and Stansted after rows over airport charges.
EasyJet blamed the “money-grabbing” attitude of Luton’s owners for the plan to ground 240 flights a week.
The no-frills firm flies nearly five million passengers a year out of Luton airport and easyJet bosses said they were keen to expand the base but it was uneconomic.
“The airport’s owners seem to have taken a short-term, money-grabbing approach,” said an EasyJet spokesman.
“Charges have risen by 25% over the past three years which means Luton is no longer competitive. It leaves us little choice but to move some flights elsewhere.”
The airport’s owners Abertis and Luton Borough Council are thought to make around £10 per passenger so the decision could be costly.
Local hotels, restaurants and taxi firms will also feel the squeeze from the loss of almost a million visitors a year.
EasyJet has more than 6,000 flights a year from East Midlands carrying around 700,000 passengers to 11 destinations in Spain, Portugal, France and Italy. But airline bosses say there is little scope to grow the business and in-bound traffic to the airport is “lame”.
As easyJet is obliged to go through a 90-day consultation with unions, the cuts will not take place until next year. A spokesman said if they go ahead – which seems likely – customers will be offered a refund or the chance to switch to easyJet flights from other airports.
Boss Andy Harrison said: “These are tough decisions but we have to take them to be sure we can keep expanding in the current economic climate.”
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