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, which, after strong growth in Germany, is now operating 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 with 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 the brand-new destination Boa Vista in Cape Verde, along with 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 a 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, Málaga, Alicante, Barcelona, Fuerteventura, Girona, 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
Türkiye
Antalya, Bodrum, Dalaman, İzmir
Ireland/Northern Ireland
Belfast, Dublin, Knock
Italy
Milan, Naples, Rome-Ciampino, Turin, Venice-Treviso, Verona
France
Carcassonne, Chambéry/Aix-les-Bains, Limoges
Portugal
Faro, Funchal
Austria
Salzburg, Vienna
Poland
Kraków, Wrocław
Croatia
Dubrovnik, Pula
Germany
Berlin
Switzerland
Geneva
Norway
Bergen
Iceland
Reykjavík
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
