UK holidaymakers will soon have even more destinations to choose from after a major airline announced a big expansion at a UK airport. easyJet is launching 11 new routes for summer 2026, more than doubling the number of places it flies to from the region. The move comes as part of plans to open a new base, which is expected to support around 1,200 jobs, including 130 direct roles.
The airline already operates eight routes from the North East, including to Alicante, Amsterdam, Geneva, Malaga, Palma de Mallorca, Paris, Bristol and Belfast. But from March 2026, passengers will be able to fly to even more places across Europe and North Africa. The new base will be at Newcastle Airport, and three additional aircraft will be stationed there as part of the expansion.
Leon McQuaid, the director of aviation development at the airport, said: “The announcement that easyJet has put flights on sale to 11 additional destinations for summer 2026, including a brand-new direct service to Nice, is fantastic news for our passengers.
“The hundreds of thousands of low-cost seats, alongside the thousands of package holidays already on sale, provide our passengers with even more choice and great value when planning their summer getaways.”
New destinations include Antalya and Dalaman in Turkey, Rhodes and Corfu in Greece, Faro in Portugal, Malta, Prague, Reus in Spain, Nice in France, Sharm-El-Sheikh in Egypt, and Enfidha in Tunisia.
easyJet’s route to Antalya will begin on March 29, operating twice a week on Wednesdays and Sundays.
Flights to Nice, Enfidha, and Faro will also launch on March 29, running three times a week on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays.
Malta flights will start on March 30, flying Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays, while services to Dalaman and Reus will begin on March 31, running Tuesdays and Saturdays.
Corfu flights are set to take off from April 3 on Mondays and Fridays.
Later in the summer, Prague will join the network from August 2 with flights on Thursdays and Sundays, and Sharm El Sheikh from August 3, running Mondays and Fridays.
Kevin Doyle, the UK country manager at easyJet, said: “We’re delighted to be putting 11 new routes on sale from Newcastle for next summer as we gear up to the opening of our new base, which is enabling us to provide greater direct connectivity and choice for customers in the North East to even more destinations across Europe and North Africa, all with great value fares and fantastic service.”
