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Regional airports take the lead with more options and flights as low as £15
New data has revealed that regional airports are the key to low-cost adventures, with flights to European hotspots available for as little as £14.99.
- Airport hubs around the UK are launching more routes for 2027
- Smaller regional hubs lead with low-cost travel
- Fares as low as £15 to hot spots such as Barcelona, Copenhagen and Faro
Short on time? Let us summarise this guide for you.
Holiday Extras reviewed over 70 routes around the UK and Ireland and found flights to European hotspots from medium-sized and regional airports for as little as £14.99. Bristol to Barcelona with Ryanair is £14.99, Liverpool to Faro with Ryanair is £14.99, Leeds Bradford to Alicante with Ryanair is £15.00 and Birmingham to Madrid with Ryanair is £16.99. Ryanair operates 56% of the cheapest routes, easyJet 22% and Jet2 7%. Spain is the front-runner, home to a third (33%) of the cheapest routes, and Alicante is the most common cheap route from the UK (15%). Regional airports are also growing through new routes for 2027, including Santorini from Leeds Bradford with Jet2, Girona from Liverpool John Lennon with easyJet, Toronto from Cardiff with WestJet and Tromsø from Glasgow. Every fare was checked directly against the operating airline's own website or fare finder on 4th November 2026, and prices are the lowest fare found on that date, so they may have changed since.
What you'll find in this guide:
The analysis was completed by Holiday Extras, the UK market leader in holiday extras including airport parking, airport hotels, and airport lounges. It reviewed over 70 routes around the UK and Ireland to uncover the cheapest destinations, and to prove that holidaymakers don't need to travel to major airport hubs to get a good deal.
The study comes as the travel brand launches its newest tool, Nearest Exit, created to help holidaymakers discover new, exciting, and affordable routes to destinations from airports closest to home, meaning less time trekking to bigger hubs to catch a flight.
The cheapest route from each regional airport
Here is the cheapest route found from the UK's biggest medium-sized and regional airports1, 2, with the airline and the lowest fare found.
| Airport | Passengers | Route | Airline | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Luton | 16,937,000 | Faro | easyJet | £14.00 |
| Edinburgh | 15,779,000 | Lisbon | Ryanair | £24.99 |
| Birmingham | 12,848,000 | Madrid | Ryanair | £16.99 |
| Bristol | 10,614,000 | Barcelona | Ryanair | £14.99 |
| Glasgow | 8,065,000 | Frankfurt | Discover | £78.00 |
| Belfast | 6,750,000 | Malaga | Ryanair | £19.99 |
| Newcastle | 5,143,000 | Marrakech | easyJet | £36.99 |
| Liverpool | 5,074,000 | Faro | Ryanair | £14.99 |
| Leeds Bradford | 4,222,000 | Alicante | Ryanair | £15.00 |
| East Midlands | 4,133,000 | Dublin | Ryanair | £15.18 |
Prices are the lowest fare found on 4th November 2026 and may have since changed. See the notes to editors below.
Who flies the cheapest routes
The research found that Ryanair is offering over half (56%) of the cheapest routes from regional airports. easyJet operates a fifth (22%) while Jet2 runs just under one in ten (7%).
Ryanair
56%
Of the cheapest routes from regional airports.
Spain
33%
Of the cheapest routes head to Spain, the front-runner for cheap flights.
Alicante
15%
The most common cheap route from the UK.
New routes for 2027
Cheap flights aren't the only reason why regional airports are 'taking off', with many growing their footprint through a collection of new routes launching in the run up to or in 2027. The highlights include:
- Santorini from Leeds Bradford with Jet2: opening up the popular Greek island to West Yorkshire
- Girona from Liverpool John Lennon with easyJet: 2027 will be the first time the operator will have flown to Girona from anywhere in the UK. Liverpool gets the opportunity alongside London Gatwick
- Toronto from Cardiff with WestJet: this is the first direct flight to Canada from Wales in almost two decades
- Tromsø from Glasgow: Norwegian is launching this winter route in 2026, offering the spectacular Arctic winter in Northern Norway to Scottish travellers
- Kilimanjaro from London Gatwick: a new British Airways route for 2027, alongside Zanzibar
Belfast International could also see several international destinations open up as Northern Irish start-up, Fly Atlantic, is planning to launch its transatlantic flights in 2027.
What Holiday Extras says
Seamus McCauley, Head of Public Affairs at Holiday Extras, said:
“It’s amazing to see local hubs offering even more affordable travel opportunities for holidaymakers in their catchment area, and 2027 will see even more as airlines look to regional hubs to expand their operations.
“Soon holidaymakers will be able to start their journey closer to home rather than spending the first day of the holiday heading into the capital. More investment into these smaller regional hubs is making travelling to incredible places cheap and accessible from everywhere in the country, which can only be a good thing.”
Find your nearest exit
Discover new, exciting and affordable routes from the airport closest to home, and see what is landing in 2027.
Try Nearest Exit Less time trekking to bigger hubs · more time on holidayNotes to editors
1 Methodology:
- Every fare was checked directly against the operating airline's own website or fare finder, not taken from a single third-party comparison site, on 4th November 2026
- Prices are the lowest fare found on the date checked and may have since changed
- Some routes have not been included, such as domestic UK and Ireland flights, and flights from Belfast City, Inverness, Southampton and London City
- Medium-sized and small regional airports servicing between 1 and 20 million passengers per annum. Passenger volume data taken from the Civil Aviation Authority
About Holiday Extras
Holiday Extras makes holidays better using innovative technology, personalised service and over 40 years of hassle-busting expertise. It brings customers great value airport hotels, airport parking, airport lounges, airport transfers, car hire, holiday insurance and UK breaks, serving over 11 million travellers a year. Less hassle. More holiday.
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