British sun-seekers are in for a bumper year of travel as major airlines have unveiled a massive expansion of flights to the Canary Islands for 2026. Leading the charge, Jet2 and easyJet have confirmed a significant boost in capacity, adding tens of thousands of extra seats to the Spanish archipelago.

The expansion is headlined by the transformation of La Palma into a major UK holiday gateway and the opening of a brand-new easyJet base in the North East, ensuring that the islands are more accessible than ever from regional hubs. From the first direct links between London Gatwick (LGW) and the hidden gem of La Palma to fresh budget connections from Newcastle, the 2026 schedule is designed to cater to the surging demand for year-round sunshine.

Jet2 is adding over 46,000 extra seats to the Canaries in 2026. By the peak of summer, they will operate roughly 260 weekly flights to the archipelago from 14 UK bases. It will launch a route between Manchester Airport (MAN) and La Palma, commencing on April 3 and operating twice a week, as well as routes from Stansted (STN) and Gatwick in October.

easyJet is opening a new three-aircraft base at Newcastle (NCL) this spring, which will drive a new Tenerife connection. A route to the iconic island will run twice a week from August 1.

This comes after TUI launched its new, exclusive routes from Cardiff (CWL) to Fuerteventura and Tenerife, which commenced on December 20, 2025. It also increased its capacity to Gran Canaria from Cardiff by doubling its service to twice-weekly, with the expanded schedule launched on December 18. From the Welsh hub, TUI will double flights to Gran Canaria (to twice weekly) and increase flights to Tenerife to four times a week for the summer, adding 48,000 more holiday seats.

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Beyond the UK, new Canary Islands routes in Europe include a new Binter domestic route between Santander and Lanzarote, launching on March 31 and operating on Tuesdays and Saturdays. This is a major milestone as it's the first time a non-capital island has a direct link to the Spanish mainland.