dailynewsnblog
When it comes to air travel in and out of the United Kingdom, the country’s aviation ecosystem is very much built around London. The British capital city is served by six different airports, with the two busiest hubs among this list also being the two busiest in the nation as a whole. While London Heathrow Airport (LHR) has consistently topped the rankings in this front, second-placed Gatwick (LGW) provides useful extra capacity.
This year, Gatwick is set to play an increasingly important role, with eight new airlines joining its ranks in 2026. This selection of fresh carriers will offer a diverse range of new routes from the second-busiest airport in the United Kingdom, serving both short and long-haul corridors. Let’s see who they are.
Nothing Beats A Jet2 Holiday!
Arguably Gatwick’s most high-profile addition this year will be the much-loved leisure carrier Jet2. While the airline does already serve the airport on a charter basis for P&O Cruises, March 26 will see Jet2 open a new base at Gatwick, representing the start of its first-ever scheduled services from London’s secondary hub.
As reported by Simple Flying at the time that this expansion was announced last November, Jet2 plans to base six aircraft at London Gatwick Airport as part of this initiative, with which it will serve a grand total of 29 holiday destinations located all over Europe. Spain alone will account for 11 of these routes, underlining its importance in the UK leisure market. Steve Heapy, who serves as the Chief Executive Officer of Jet2, said at the time that:
“We know that bringing the Jet2 formula to London Gatwick will be a game-changer for customers, and we are looking forward to a hugely successful future from our newest UK airport base.“
Other European Additions
Elsewhere in Europe, Germany will also be an important market for Gatwick, with two of the eight new airlines coming from the country. Starting on March 29, Eurowings will begin operating 13 flights a week from Gatwick to Cologne Bonn Airport (CGN), before adding six flights a week to Stuttgart (STR) on April 13. Between these two launches, Condor will commence thrice-daily flights from London Gatwick Airport to Frankfurt (FRA) on April 1.
While the airlines discussed so far primarily serve the low-cost and leisure sectors, Gatwick’s 2026 additions also include a European flag carrier in the form of Air France. After last serving Gatwick in 2007, the SkyTeam founding member will make its long-awaited return after 19 years on March 29, operating twice-daily flights to its main hub at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG). These services will use its 148-seat Airbus A220-300 jets.
Arguably the most obscure of Gatwick’s five European additions this year is Romania’s Animawings, which will serve London’s secondary hub from its base at Bucharest Henri Coandă International (OTP) six times a week from March 22. Much like Air France, the Airbus A220-300 will be its aircraft of choice, and, according to Cirium, an aviation analytics company, these modern narrowbody twinjets have 125 economy and 12 business class seats.
UK Airlines And Airports Warn Rising Charges Will Harm Industry Growth
During the Autumn Budget 2024, Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced a rise in flight taxes.
The Best Of The Rest
Gatwick’s three other new airlines this year are all from further afield, with perhaps the most notable being AirAsia X. The Malaysian low-cost carrier previously flew from Kuala Lumpur (KUL) to London Stansted (STN) from 2009 to 2011 before switching to Gatwick until 2012. Now, 14 years later, this daily route will restart on June 27, albeit operating via Bahrain International (BAH) and using the Airbus A330 rather than the A340 as before.
Elsewhere in Asia, Beijing Capital Airlines will be another new operator at London Gatwick Airport this year, with the Chinese carrier set to serve the facility on a weekly basis from Qingdao Jiaodong International Airport (TAO). Finally. 2026 will also herald the arrival of Air Arabia at London Gatwick, with its twice-daily flights to Sharjah starting on March 29. These services will use the Airbus A321LR, and last up to seven hours and 50 minutes.
