MUGFOUNDRY

In a blow to UK holidaymakers, Vueling is planning to axe two direct routes connecting London with popular tourist destinations in Spain.

According to data from aviation analytics company Cirium, the airline is set to scrap its direct flights from London Gatwick Airport to both Gran Canaria Airport and Granada Federico García Lorca Airport from July.

Vueling previously offered three and two weekly flights to each destination, respectively.

Following the change, there will be no direct route to Granada from any of the capital’s airports, although change-free flights will be available to Gran Canaria via Heathrow, Gatwick, Luton, and Stansted on airlines like British Airways, EasyJet, Jet2, Ryanair, and TUI.

The nearest alternative airports with direct connections are Malaga and Seville.

Figures show Spain was the number one destination for UK travellers in recent years, with over 17.8 million Brits visiting in 2023 (accounting for 21% of all visits abroad).

Canarian Weekly reports that around 6.25 million British tourists visited Gran Canaria specifically that year (which subsequently increased by around half a million in 2024).

Meanwhile, Granada welcomes nearly 3 million tourists annually, according to Civitatis Granada – but how many of those are from the UK is unclear.

Vueling’s new UK flight routes for summer 2025

It’s not all bad news, as Vueling also announced it will add new destinations to its network for summer 2025, along with expanding capacity to other popular locations.

A total of 19 additional weekly flights from Spain to the UK will operate from July, including two new routes; Bilbao to London Heathrow and London Heathrow to Santiago de Compostela.

This means an extra 3,183 weekly seats for passengers heading off on their holidays, around 10% more than last year according to Cirium’s Diio Mi tool.

Plus, the low-cost carrier will increase the frequency of flights from Edinburgh to Barcelona, London Gatwick to Alicante, and London Gatwick to Seville, in an effort to meet the demand for Spanish getaways.

The likes of Ryanair, EasyJet, and Jet2 are among those doing the same, adding a respective 90, 50, and 55 weekly flights from the UK to Spain to their timetables and creating a total of 41,597 additional seats.

Vueling, which operates in more than 90 destinations across Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa, carried around 36.8 million passengers in total in 2023.

It currently serves six UK airports – London Gatwick, London Heathrow, Birmingham, Cardiff, Manchester and Edinburgh – with fares starting from £18 each way.

Metro has approached Vueling for comment.

Do you have a story to share?

Get in touch by emailing MetroLifestyleTeam@Metro.co.uk.