Jet2 Holiday From Gatwick: New Base And 29 Routes Launching Summer 2026

British low-cost leisure airline Jet2 has announced a major new schedule out of London Gatwick Airport next summer, representing its first-ever flights from London’s second-busiest airport. Starting March 26, 2026, Jet2 will launch services to 29 holiday destinations across Europe.

Jet2 is Gatwick’s first major new leisure airline since 2020 and the airport’s largest new based airline this century, basing six aircraft at LGW, including five permanent Airbus A321neos.

Jet2 Announces New Gatwick Base

Credit: Jet2

The Leeds-based leisure carrier will be commencing operations at London Gatwick Airport at the start of the Summer 2026 season. With a total of 29 destinations announced, Jet2’s routes will cover popular holiday destinations in Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Greece, Italy, Malta, Portugal, Spain, and Türkiye, significantly boosting getaway options for travelers out of London’s secondary airport.

Its first flight will depart on March 26 with a service to Tenerife, one of 11 Spanish destinations, followed by a flurry of new routes through to July. Jet2 CEO Steve Heapy heralded the move as a “transformational next step” in the airline’s business, with the carrier finally securing slots at an airport it has long had its eye on.

Heapy commented,

“Today’s announcement represents an incredibly exciting moment for Jet2. For many years, our ambition has been to provide our differentiated, service-led, end-to-end product offering from London Gatwick, and we see this as a once-in-a-generation opportunity to accelerate our growth from the UK’s largest beach and city leisure destination airport.”

A Sun-Filled Network

Credit: Jet2

Jet2’s Summer 2026 network from Gatwick will offer 11 destinations in Spain, 10 in Greece, two in Italy, and one each in Bulgaria, Cyprus, Malta, Portugal, and Turkey. Its busiest routes will be Faro and Palma de Mallorca with ten weekly flights each, while other notable high-frequency services include flights to Alicante, Malaga and Tenerife.

The carrier has committed six based aircraft to Gatwick, which will include five new Airbus A321neo aircraft. LGW becomes the 14th UK airport served by Jet2, which is the country’s third-largest airline.

Significant Low-Cost Competition

Credit: Shutterstock

Jet2 will be taking on a number of low-cost and leisure airlines that have already established themselves at Gatwick, most notably easyJet, TUI Airways and Wizz Air. As the airport’s busiest carrier, easyJet will be feeling the most pressure, particularly with its recent package holiday boon now under threat.

Where Jet2 will have a clear advantage over easyJet is its package deals. As it stands, Jet2 is the UK’s biggest package operator, handling over seven million holiday package passengers this year, which is more than double the figure at easyJet.

The airline says its new base will initially create over 300 jobs, ranging from ground handling and operations staff to flight crew and administrative roles.