Summer 2027 is already taking shape. Ryanair and easyJet have both put fresh schedules on sale from UK airports, and the headline news is reach: smaller regional terminals are getting direct links to spots that previously needed a connection or a long drive to a bigger hub.
easyJet, the UK's largest low-cost carrier, has launched 18 new routes from 10 airports. Spain dominates, with six new Spanish routes including first-ever easyJet flights to Girona — twice weekly from Liverpool from 28 March, and three times a week from Gatwick from 3 June. Aberdeen gets a first direct Barcelona route, and Scotland overall gains six new connections. The airline will also be the only operator on several city pairs: Birmingham to Milan, Liverpool to Murcia, Gatwick to Ajaccio in Corsica, and Bristol to Montpellier.
The fuller easyJet list reads like a Mediterranean shopping trip: Edinburgh to Bilbao, Hamburg and Rome; Manchester to Bastia; Newcastle to Larnaca; Luton to Thessaloniki; Southend to Rhodes; Bristol to Burgas in Bulgaria; and both Birmingham and Edinburgh serving Tivat on Montenegro's Adriatic coast — a destination few Britons have reached on a direct flight before.
Ryanair, meanwhile, has opened bookings on its first tranche of summer 2027 routes with a clear focus on linking regional England to cities and beaches further afield. Leeds Bradford is a big winner, with returns added from Budapest, Corfu, Malaga and Bari, plus a new Tirana service. Birmingham gains Wroclaw, East Midlands gets Gdansk, Exeter picks up Porto, Bournemouth also gets Porto, and Newcastle adds Reus and Rhodes. There's a new Malaga to Norwich route too.
Why does this matter if you're planning a holiday? Two reasons. First, choice and price: when airlines compete on the same route — or open one nobody else flies — fares tend to be keener at launch, and the promotional pricing on new routes is often the cheapest you'll see. Second, convenience: a direct flight from Exeter, Norwich, Bournemouth or Southend can save hours of motorway driving or a stopover, and it makes a proper week's holiday viable from places that usually lose out to London and Manchester.
For city-break fans, the cultural picks stand out — Wroclaw and Gdansk are two of Poland's prettiest old towns, Porto keeps proving its worth beyond the port cellars, and Tirana is arguably Europe's most underrated capital right now. Beach holidaymakers should note the Corsican and Sardinian-adjacent options (Ajaccio and Girona for the Costa Brava), plus classic summer islands like Corfu and Rhodes now served from more airports. Flights are on sale now, and for peak summer 2027 departures booking early is usually the difference between a bargain and a wallet-buster.
Credit: The Independent Travel
