routes

IF YOU are thinking about where to head off to this winter, then you won’t be short for choice as several airlines are launching new flights from the UK to warm and sunny destinations.

Whether you fancy a city break in the sun or a beach trip to soak up rays, across October, November and December airlines are launching new flights.

And there are both short haul and long haul destinations.

Here’s a roundup of the newest flight routes coming this season from the UK, ideal for a winter sun holiday:

British Airways

British Airways has a number of new winter sun routes, with a couple already launched.

On October 23, the airline launched flights between London Gatwick and Colombo, Sri Lanka.

Read more on travel inspo

CHEAP BREAKS

UK’s best 100 cheap stays – our pick of the top hotels, holiday parks and pubs

BOOK IT

20 ultra cheap girly hols – UK trips, city breaks & all inclusive stays from £59

The city of Colombo is known for its vibrant temples, such as the Buddhist Gangarama Temple.

Visitors can also visit bustling markets, such as Pettah Market, with local spices and handmade textiles.

Then on October 25, flights were launched between London Gatwick and Bridgetown, Barbados.

Bridgetown is the largest city of Barbados and has heaps of history to explore including the central area which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

During December, temperatures reach around 29C.

The same day, flights launched between London Heathrow and San Jose, Costa Rica after being moved from Gatwick Airport.

San Jose is home to a mix of neoclassical architecture as well as sprawling markets and even active volcanoes.

Make sure to have a walk through Mercado Central (Central Market), which is an indoor market dating back to 1880 selling local produce and gifts.

Virgin Atlantic

Earlier this month, Virgin Atlantic launched flights between London Heathrow and Phuket, Thailand.

Phuket is a great destination for beach hopping, with white sand spots and beaches ideal for surfing.

Make sure to visit Phuket Old Town as well where you can spot colourful 19th century houses, as well as shops, cafes and local galleries.

It is also nice and warm in December, with temperatures reaching up to 32C.

EasyJet

Despite being an airline that mainly serves Europe, easyJet is launching three new winter sun routes over the coming weeks.

The first will be between Newcastle and Hurghada, Egypt, with flights taking off on October 27.

Hurghada is surrounded by the Red Sea that is full of coral reefs and colourful fish where you can head snorkelling.

Make sure to visit the Marina too at sunset where you can even see across to the minarets of the El Mina mosque.

This route will be followed by flights between London Luton and Rabat, Morocco, launching on November 5.

The capital of Morocco is known for its historic architecture and has up to just eight days of rain in December.

Then on November 9, Manchester will get a route to Giza Sphinx/Cairo, Egypt.

In Cairo, you can visit the Pyramids of Giza and the Great Sphinx, which is the last surviving wonder of the ancient world with daytime highs of 21C.

Ryanair

Budget airline Ryanair will be launching flights from Birmingham to Marrakech, Morocco in late October.

The city is home to an abundance of souks selling spices and locally crafted items as well as a medieval Medina with hidden courtyards.

Around the same time, the airline will also start flights between Liverpool and Porto, Portugal.

The coastal city of Porto is known for its wine but also has a UNESCO-listed medieval riverfront, where you can stop by an outdoor cafe.

TUI

On October 25, TUI launched flights between the East Midlands and Antalya, Turkey.

The Turkish city is full of narrow cobblestone streets in its Old Town to get lost exploring, with Ottoman-era houses and artisan shops.

You’ll also be able to pick up a cheap pint, with beers costing as little as £3 a pint.

The airline will follow this by also launching flights to Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, from the airport in early November.

Sharm El Sheikh is great for an adventure holiday with snorkelling and diving in the Red Sea as well as desert activities such as quad biking, dune buggies and camel rides.

Later, in mid-December, TUI is then also set to start flights between Belfast International and Punta Cana, Dominican Republic.

Punta Cana is known for its world-famous, all-inclusive resorts but also jungle adventures and vibrant nightlife.

Temperatures can reach up to 32C in December, which is the ideal weather for sinking a cool pint that will set you back as little as £1.80.

MOVE over St Pancras – there’s a new kid on the block for rail services to Europe.

Lord Sadiq Khan has revealed plans to launch trains to Europe from Stratford International Station within the next four years.

Despite its name, the station has never had international services, but according to The Standard, the station is set to undergo a £20million project to launch trains to France by 2030.

One in three trains to and from France could stop at the station under the new plans – being a stop on services, rather than a new origin or destination station.

It’s predicted that the stop would add five to eight minutes to the overall journey time.

Sadiq Khan told The Standard: “We’ve been working closely with the Government to make Stratford International truly ‘international’ for the first time – opening up new opportunities for jobs, investment and tourism, while connecting one of the UK’s fastest-growing economic centres directly to Europe.

Read more on travel inspo

SO FLY

Our fave beach hols under 5 hours from UK with Caribbean dupes & £2 bottles of wine

BOOK IT

20 ultra cheap girly hols – UK trips, city breaks & all inclusive stays from £59

“It’s time to unlock the full potential of this station and help write the next chapter in Stratford’s remarkable success story as we continue building a better, greener, more prosperous London for everyone.”

If trains to Europe did launch at Stratford International Station, around five million people in and around London would have better access to international rail services.

Services could run to Paris, Brussels, Rotterdam and Amsterdam.

And eventually, there could be trains to Germany and Switzerland as well.

The current plans are also backed by a number of businesses as well as the train drivers’ union Aslef.

Stratford International finished construction in 2006 with four platforms.

However, the two platforms for international services as well as the area for international passengers have remained abandoned for the past two decades.

In order for the area to open, more work would need to be done including making the flow of passengers through security more efficient.

The station would be able to handle around 250 to 300 passengers at a time.

Meanwhile, Virgin is set to launch services from London St Pancras also by 2030, competing with Eurostar.

BRITS will get more choice of where to go on holiday next year as TUI has announced eight new routes.

These will take-off from London Gatwick to destinations from sunny Spanish cities to North African islands.

For summer 2027, TUI is adding eight new routes which will contribute to its 17 million seats and 84,000 flights planned for next year.

There will be three new routes to Spain, one of which will be to Seville which is popular for winter sun thanks to its year-round sunshine.

Even in the winter, Seville can experience highs of 18C.

The city has plenty to see like Royal Alcázar of Seville, Seville Cathedral and Plaza de España which is a cobbled square with four bridges over its small river.

STAY CHEAP

Bargains at Butlins & manor stays… incredible value UK hols from £2.50pp a night

BE-LEAF IT

Perfect autumn attractions from £1.95 per kid from pumpkin patches to waterparks

There are also live flamenco performances and Deputy Travel Editor Kara Godfrey suggests heading to El Rinconcillo.

It’s the city’s oldest tapas bar which dates back to 1670 – and you can get huge glasses of wine for as little as £3.

Two other Spanish cities that TUI will fly to in summer 2027 include Santiago de Compostela and Valencia.

One of these will be to the Greek capital of Athens which was recently named the most underrated winter city break in Europe by Time Out.

The city is known for its ancient sites like the Acropolis and plenty of modern neighbourhoods too.

Travel writer Ryan Gray who visited during the winter discovered it was just as good without the hot weather – especially as it had half the crowds.

He added: “I climbed Mars Hill to catch the sunset over the city — an experience that’s usually a shoulder-to-shoulder fight in July, but in winter felt like my own private viewing platform.

Another of TUI’s new routes is to Mytilene (Lesvos) which is on the Greek island of Lesbos.

In the city, visitors can explore Mytilene Castle, stroll around Ermou Street Market and enjoy seafood at the tavernas along the waterfront.

It even has its own Statue of Liberty in the harbour.

TUI will also fly to Palermo, the capital of the Italian island of Sicily.

It sits on the northern coast of the country with both sandy and rocky beaches like Mondello Beach and Addaura.

One free attraction is San Domenico Square which is the entrance to La Vucciria a market selling things like food, jewellery and souvenirs.

TUI is also offering a direct route to Tangier in Morocco which sits along the Strait of Gibraltar.

The city itself has plenty to see including its medina, busy souks, and landmarks like the Kasbah and the Caves of Hercules.

The city itself has a blend of cultures; African, French and Spanish.

It has a vibrant café culture thanks to its French influence, tapas culture from Spain.

In the summertime, Tangier sits at around 30C so it’s warm, but still mild enough to explore.

Another route is to Djerba, a large island off Tunisia’s southeastern coast.

It has sandy beaches and for any Star Wars fans, it was the filming location for Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope – and there are regular tours too.

Head of Sun Travel, Lisa Minot, visited Djerba last year, she said: “Relatively undiscovered by us Brits, Djerba is a great-value option for those looking to explore beyond the Med favourites.

“Sizzling in summer, temperatures remain high all the way through to November and rarely dip below the 20Cs, even in the depths of winter, making it ideal for out-of-season sunshine.”

NEARLY 30 new routes are being launched by Ryanair next summer.

The budget airline has revealed all of the new flights, and they start from £14.99.

While some of the destinations are between European airports, there are a number of new UK routes.

This includes Birmingham, Bournemouth, Newcastle and Leeds.

The full list of new UK routes are:

• Birmingham to Wroclaw
• Bournemouth to Porto
• East Midlands to Gdansk
• Exeter to Porto
• Leeds Bradford to Tirana
• Newcastle to Reus
• Newcastle to Rhodes

CHECK OUT

New Ryanair check in rules to launch next month – it’s bad news for late arrivals

TAKING OFF

Ryanair to launch 22 routes to Europe & Africa this winter with flights from £15

While none of the routes are new for Brits, more routes also mean lower prices.

The flights are already on sale, with the cheaper options if you book sooner rather than later.

Ryanair CMO Dara Brady, said: “These are the first of our new Summer 2027 routes to go on sale, with more exciting additions to be announced as Ryanair continues to expand Europe’s largest route network.

“Customers looking to secure the lowest fares for their Summer 2027 travel should head to the Ryanair app/website and book now to get ahead of the curve.”

IF you are thinking about where to go this winter, then you are in luck because Ryanair is adding 22 destinations to its flight schedule.

Routes include Europe as well as a much-loved winter sun spot in Africa.

Four of the new routes will be from London airports including from London Stansted to Glasgow in Scotland, Malmo in Sweden and Parma in Italy.

A new service to Venice, Italy will then also operate from London Luton Airport.

Five new routes will be added to both Liverpool and Birmingham airports.

From Liverpool, you’ll be able to head to Copenhagen, Gdansk, Porto, Tirana and Warsaw.

Read more on travel inspo

CHEAP BREAKS

UK’s best 100 cheap stays – our pick of the top hotels, holiday parks and pubs

SO FLY

Our fave beach hols under 5 hours from UK with Caribbean dupes & £2 bottles of wine

Then from Birmingham you’ll be able to head to Copenhagen, Rome Fiumicino in Italy and Marrakech in Morocco which is perfect for winter sun – with some of these flights costing as little as £14.99 per person, per-way.

And there are other lesser-known destinations where you won’t find the crowds experienced elsewhere in Europe such as Tirana in Albania and Warsaw Modlin in Poland.

The airline has also announced that it is increasing the amount of flights departing Manchester Airport to 26 destinations including Malaga, Palma de Mallorca and Madrid in Spain.

It comes as the airline’s boss Michael O’Leary also warned of flight prices rising next year.

At a press conference last week, he said: “Fares for Ryanair passengers and every other passenger into the summer of 2027 are going to rise materially, I believe, because of significantly higher oil prices.

“I have no doubt fares are rising next year. The question is by how much.”

The airline also announced recently that it was axing even more seats that are equal to around 13,000 flights.

In 2025, France lost 25 routes and some 750,000 seats last winter and in Brussels, Ryanair axed 20 routes and cut one million seats across Brussels-Zaventem and Brussels South Charleroi airports.