LUXE Serendipity magazine

By Donna RIchardson

Seven new routes and a brand-new airline will operate from East Midlands Airport in 2026.

SunExpress is beginning to run routes to Antalya in Türkiye for the first time from this Easter. Operating up to three times a week through to October, bookings are already open for flights and holidays with the newcomer to East Midlands.

SunExpress is a joint venture between Lufthansa and Turkish Airlines that, after strong growth in Germany, now operates from 14 airports in the UK and Ireland.

Jet2 has added five new destinations from East Midlands, offering greater holiday options in central Europe and northern Africa. The new routes on sale for the summer are the Greek destinations of Preveza, Thessaloniki and Chania, along with Pula in Croatia, while Agadir in Morocco will be new for the winter. Jet2 has also added extra flights and holidays for Jersey, with new Saturday services through to October, providing customers a route to the Channel Islands following the collapse of Blue Islands.

Meanwhile, TUI has announced it is reintroducing the popular Egyptian destination of Sharm el-Sheikh this summer. The route was last operated by TUI three years ago and has been reintroduced as a twice-weekly operation from Easter following strong customer demand. This follows TUI’s introduction last summer of brand-new destinations Boa Vista in Cape Verde and Burgas on Bulgaria’s coastline, both available again this year.

People choosing to fly from East Midlands this year will experience a wide range of improvements carried out over the last two years, with further upgrades taking place this winter, ready for the summer season. Already in place are a new-look security hall complete with next-generation scanners, new and refurbished restaurants, extra seating, better wi-fi, new water refill stations and electronic customer service kiosks, an extended and refurbished Escape Lounge, Meet & Greet Office improvements and a new barrierless, cashless payment system for more efficient Rapid Drop Off arrangements. Improvements taking place ahead of this Easter will see more new shops and new and refurbished restaurants, upgrades to the Immigration Hall and arrivals experience, new toilets, a new quiet room, sensory pods and Little Flyers area for young travellers.

East Midlands Airport’s Customer Services and Planning Director Mike Grimes said: “We are so looking forward to summer 2026 – it’s going to be great to welcome SunExpress for the first time and to be able to offer new destinations to our customers.

“We’re always looking at ways to improve the choice and experience for customers and these new routes, along with ongoing improvements in the terminal, mean that summer 2026 is shaping up to be a great one for everyone who chooses East Midlands for an effortless start to their holidays.”

Currently, the full list of 66 destinations available from East Midlands Airport in 2026 is:

Spain

Lanzarote, Malaga, Alicante, Barcelona, Fuerteventura, Gerona, Ibiza, Gran Canaria, Menorca, Palma de Mallorca, Reus, Corvera, Tenerife, Valencia

Greece/Cyprus/Malta

Kerkyra, Chania, Kefalonia, Irakleion, Skiathos, Kos, Larnaca, Thessaloniki, Malta, Preveza/Lefkas, Paphos, Rhodes, Zakynthos Island

Turkey

Antalya, Bodrum, Dalaman, Izmir

Ireland/Northern Ireland

Belfast, Dublin, Knock

Italy

Milan, Naples, Rome-Ciampino, Turin, Venice-Treviso, Verona

France

Carcassonne, Chambery/Aix-les-Bains, Limoges

Portugal

Faro, Funchal

Austria

Salzburg, Vienna

Poland

Krakow, Wroclaw

Croatia

Dubrovnik, Pula

Germany

Berlin

Switzerland

Geneva

Norway

Bergen

Iceland

Reykjavik

Bulgaria

Burgas

Hungary

Budapest

Czech Republic

Prague

Latvia

Riga

Channel Islands

Jersey

North Africa

Agadir, Enfidha, Hurghada, Sharm el-Sheikh

Cape Verde

Boa Vista Island, Sal Island