No new Ryanair or Vueling routes from France are confirmed for winter 2026-2027: the new lines come from easyJet, Transavia France and Volotea. Between 25 October and 19 December 2026, more than twenty routes open from Bordeaux, Nantes, Lille, Rennes, Brest, Montpellier and Paris-Orly, often from €35 to €50 one way without a checked bag. Most fly only twice a week, so pick your travel days first, then book early.
Autumn 2026 isn’t a growth story for French low-cost flying. It’s a reshuffle. Ryanair keeps pulling out of the regions, and easyJet, Transavia and Volotea are moving into the slots it leaves behind, with direct flights that skip the connection through Paris. Whether you live in France, visit often or are planning a trip from the UK, here’s what really opens, on which dates, at what headline price, and what to check before you book.
Ryanair pulls back as easyJet, Transavia and Volotea move in
Ryanair’s winter 2026-2027 programme, announced on 17 July 2026, includes more than 140 new routes, but it targets mainly Eastern Europe and Morocco. According to AeroRoutes, none of the 21 routes listed at the end of May touches France. The airline has cut around 25 routes and 750,000 seats since winter 2025, pointing to France’s air ticket solidarity tax (TSBA), which rose from €2.63 to €7.40 in economy on intra-European flights on 1 March 2025. Bergerac, Brive, Strasbourg and Clermont-Ferrand have been dropped, and Nîmes sees four routes suspended this winter.
On the Vueling and Wizz Air side, nothing is confirmed from France either: the only winter route tied to France for Wizz Air is Warsaw to Lyon, in the inbound direction. By contrast, easyJet announced nine routes on 24 April 2026, relayed by Air Journal and the airports concerned. Transavia France unveiled its winter novelties on 19 May, detailed here, and Volotea is opening its 11th French base in Montpellier.
For summer news, another article has you covered: the 10 new Transavia and Air France routes for summer 2026. This one covers the IATA winter season, from 25 October 2026 to 27 March 2027, and the regions.
The new routes calendar, from late October to December
Prices are headline fares announced when sales opened, one way, without a checked bag, and they can swing a lot depending on the date. Where sources disagree on a date, we show the most cautious one.
| From | Route | Airline | Days | Headline fare |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 Oct | Paris-CDG → Southampton | easyJet | Thu, Sun | from €50 |
| 25 Oct | Bordeaux → Agadir | easyJet | Wed, Sun | from €50 |
| 25 Oct | Bordeaux → Cairo | Transavia France | Sun | from €59 |
| 25 Oct | Brest → Seville | Transavia France | Thu, Sun | around €40 to €70 |
| 26 Oct | Bordeaux → Malaga | easyJet | Mon, Fri | from €35 |
| 26 Oct | Lyon ↔ Nice | easyJet | Mon, Fri | from €40 |
| 26 Oct | Rennes → Seville | Transavia France | Mon, Fri | from €42 |
| late Oct | Nantes → Brussels | easyJet | Tue, Sat | from €35 |
| 27 Oct | Nantes → Essaouira | easyJet | Tue, Sat | from €50 to €55 |
| 27 Oct | Nice → Cairo | easyJet | Tue, Sat | from €75 |
| 28 Oct | Bordeaux → Gran Canaria | easyJet | Wed, Sat | from €40 |
| 28 Oct | Lille → Prague | easyJet | Wed, Sat | from €40 |
| late Oct or early Nov | Nantes → Cairo | Transavia France | Wed | from €69 |
| 30 Oct | Nantes → São Vicente (Cape Verde) | Transavia France | Fri | from €95 |
| 6 Nov | Montpellier → Bordeaux | Volotea | Fri, Sun | not disclosed |
| 6 Nov | Montpellier → Madrid | Volotea | Mon, Fri | not disclosed |
| 7 Nov | Montpellier → Lanzarote | Volotea | Sat | from €20 |
| 8 Nov | Montpellier → Tenerife South | Volotea | Sun | from €20 |
| 4 Dec | Bordeaux → Naples | easyJet | Mon, Fri | from €35 |
| 12 Dec | Paris-Orly → Kajaani (Finland) | Transavia France | Sat | from €45 |
| 19 Dec | Paris-Orly → Malé (Maldives) | French bee | up to 2 a week | from €649 |
| 19 Dec | Paris-Orly → Colombo (Sri Lanka) | French bee | up to 3 a week | from €599 |
Egypt: Cairo from four French airports
Cairo and Luxor: Egypt is now a direct regional flight
This is the busiest theme of the autumn. easyJet launched Paris-CDG to Cairo on 2 September 2026, with two flights a week (Monday and Wednesday) from €85, according to AeroRoutes. It adds Nice to Cairo on 27 October (Tuesday and Saturday, from €75). Transavia France opens Bordeaux to Cairo on 25 October, on Sundays, from €59: departure at 6:30 am, arrival at 11:50 am, return at 12:45 pm, according to the Bordeaux Airport press release. Nantes follows on Wednesdays, from late October (one source says 4 November), from €69.
One thing to know: these flights land at Sphinx International Airport (SPX), built in the desert on the Alexandria road, about 42 km from the centre. Allow close to an hour by road in light traffic, and arrange a private transfer or a pre-agreed taxi, as there’s no mass transit. On the package side, easyJet holidays offers Lyon and Nantes to Luxor from 31 October (Saturday), Nile cruise included, from around €1,401 depending on dates. Paris-CDG to Luxor already existed, so it isn’t new.
Highlights
- The Grand Egyptian Museum has been open since November 2025 (foreign visitor ticket around €25), see our update on its opening.
- Direct flights from Bordeaux, Nantes, Nice and Paris, with no connection.
- Visa at roughly $30, passport required: check the current rules before you travel.
Winter sun: Canary Islands, Morocco, Andalusia and Cape Verde
Gran Canaria, Lanzarote, Tenerife, Agadir, Essaouira, Seville
These are the most useful routes for escaping the gloom. From Bordeaux, easyJet opens Gran Canaria on 28 October (Wednesday and Saturday, from €40, about 4 hours in the air), a route the airline bills as an exclusive. Las Palmas and the Maspalomas dunes sit at 16 to 22 °C in December, with the sea around 20.5 °C. Bordeaux-Agadir starts on 25 October from €50 (20 to 24 °C in November-December) and Bordeaux-Malaga on 26 October from €35, a handy base for Granada and Ronda.
From Nantes, easyJet opens Essaouira on 27 October, from €50 to €55 depending on the source: a UNESCO-listed medina, trade winds for kitesurfing and about 20 °C in winter. In Andalusia, Transavia France links Rennes to Seville on 26 October (from €42) and Brest to Seville on 25 October, with a headline fare that runs from €42 in the press to €69 on the airport’s page: budget €40 to €70. Seville hovers around 15 to 18 °C by day in December, far more pleasant than in July.
Finally, Volotea opens its 11th French base in Montpellier with one aircraft and four routes: Bordeaux and Madrid on 6 November, Lanzarote on the 7th, Tenerife South on the 8th, with headline fares from €20 to the Canaries, according to Ulysse. A second A320 is planned for 2027. For music and hiking fans, Transavia also offers Nantes to São Vicente (Cape Verde) on 30 October, on Fridays, from €95, routed via Sal.
Highlights
- Direct regional flights, with no detour via Paris.
- Morocco is visa-free for French citizens (valid passport). Other nationalities should check their own entry rules.
- Cape Verde: an EASE registration of around €31, to be completed before departure.
Cities and Christmas markets: Prague, Naples, Brussels, Southampton
Lille-Prague, Bordeaux-Naples, Nantes-Brussels, CDG-Southampton
Lille-Prague (28 October, Wednesday and Saturday, from €40, about 1 h 50 in the air) makes Lille the 11th French airport linked to the Czech capital, according to TourMaG. Prague’s Christmas markets run from 28 November 2026 to 6 January 2027, with the crowds peaking from 14 to 24 December, so aim for the first week of December or January. The Czech Republic welcomed 280,000 French visitors in 2025, according to CzechTourism. Our guide to Europe’s Christmas markets lists the alternatives.
Bordeaux-Naples opens on 4 December (Monday and Friday, from €35), the airport’s 48th route, according to Air Journal: the nativity workshops of Via San Gregorio Armeno, pizza, Pompeii. Note that works at Naples airport have led Transavia to beef up Salerno from Orly between 1 and 30 November (up to 11 flights a week, from €40), a temporary boost rather than a new route. Nantes-Brussels (Tuesday and Saturday, from €35, about 1 h 15) starts in late October: on the 27th according to most sources, the 26th according to one.
On the UK side, easyJet opens Paris-CDG to Southampton on 25 October (Thursday and Sunday, from €50). A Strasbourg to London-Luton route is announced for 29 November, from €55, but we’ve only found it in a single announcement, so check it on the airline’s website before planning. Note that visitors from outside the UK and Ireland need a UK Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) at £20 for either route, see our guide to the ETA and passport rules. Lastly, Lyon-Nice opens on 26 October from €40: about an hour in the air against more than five hours by TGV.
Highlights
- A direct flight that’s far quicker than the train (Nantes-Brussels and Lille-Prague).
- easyJet exclusives from Nantes (Brussels), according to the airline.
- A budget of €15 to €20 per person on Prague’s Old Town Square.
Deep freeze and long haul: Finnish Lapland, Maldives, Sri Lanka
Orly-Kajaani, Orly-Malé, Orly-Colombo
Transavia France links Paris-Orly to Kajaani, in Finland, every Saturday from 12 December 2026 to 20 March 2027: departure at 7:50 am, arrival at 12:20 pm, on an A320neo, from €45, according to TourMaG. The nearby resort of Vuokatti offers cross-country skiing, husky sledding, saunas and, with luck, the northern lights (never guaranteed). Pack proper cold-weather gear and think about your luggage: the under-seat bag won’t hold winter clothes.
French bee opens Malé (Maldives, up to two flights a week, from €649) and Colombo (Sri Lanka, up to three flights a week, from €599, extended to 1 May 2027, with stopovers on the return) from Orly on 19 December, according to Air Journal. It’s long-haul low cost: headline fares in the quiet season, and a sharp rise over Christmas and New Year. For comparison, Air France, which isn’t a low-cost airline, resumes Paris-CDG to Malé from 18 December 2026 to 7 March 2027, on Fridays and Sundays. Check entry requirements on the FCDO or French foreign ministry sites: an online arrival form for the Maldives, an ETA for Sri Lanka.
Highlights
- Lapland on a direct low-cost flight from Paris, a snowy weekend within budget.
- Two long-haul destinations under €650 one way at the headline fare.
- A code-share with Air Corsica and Air Caraïbes announced on 15 September 2026.
The traps behind the headline fare
Bags. On easyJet, only the small under-seat bag (45 x 36 x 20 cm) is free, while the larger cabin bag (56 x 45 x 25 cm) is paid. On Transavia, a 15 kg checked bag costs about €40 and a 20 kg one about €46 since April 2026. Add €20 to €50 per leg to your budget, and see our 2026 cabin baggage guide.
Frequency. With two flights a week, one cancellation wipes out half the route’s weekly service. In case of a major delay or cancellation, EU Regulation 261/2004 provides for rerouting or a refund, and compensation of €250 to €600 depending on distance, barring extraordinary circumstances (the UK has its own equivalent, UK261, for flights departing from the UK). Nothing is promised in advance.
Longevity. An announced route can be changed or cancelled, and several winter routes aren’t renewed the following summer. Book the popular ones early (Prague in December, the Canaries at Christmas), but look at the refund conditions.
What’s still missing. The winter 2026-2027 programmes for Toulouse, Marseille and Nice aren’t yet published in the sources we could check, so we’re giving no figures for those airports. We’ll update this article as soon as they come out.
Practical info before you go
Get connected as soon as you land, handy in Egypt, Morocco, Spain, Finland or the Maldives, with no roaming fees. Our eSIM comparison breaks down the options.
Plans by countryHealth and cancellation cover that’s useful for Egypt, Cape Verde, Sri Lanka and the Maldives, where the European health card doesn’t apply.
Online quoteFrequently asked questions
What are the new low-cost routes from France in autumn 2026?
Mainly easyJet (Bordeaux-Agadir, Bordeaux-Malaga, Bordeaux-Gran Canaria, Nantes-Essaouira, Nantes-Brussels, Nice-Cairo, Lille-Prague, Lyon-Nice and Paris-CDG-Southampton), Transavia France (Bordeaux and Nantes to Cairo, Rennes and Brest to Seville, Nantes to São Vicente, Orly to Kajaani) and Volotea (four routes from Montpellier). Source: Air Journal.
Is Ryanair opening new routes from France this winter?
No new Ryanair route from France is confirmed for autumn 2026. The airline has cut its French network by about 25 routes since winter 2025, citing the air ticket tax, and its winter programme targets mainly Eastern Europe and Morocco.
When does the 2026-2027 winter season start?
On 25 October 2026, running until 27 March 2027, according to the IATA calendar used in Transavia France’s announcements. Most new routes open between 25 October and early November.
What’s the cheapest flight among the new routes?
Volotea advertises the Canary Islands from €20 out of Montpellier. On easyJet, Bordeaux-Malaga, Nantes-Brussels and Bordeaux-Naples start from €35. These are one-way headline fares without a checked bag, and they climb during school holidays.
Can you fly low cost from France to Egypt?
Yes: easyJet Paris-CDG to Cairo (Sphinx) since 2 September 2026 and Nice to Cairo on 27 October, Transavia Bordeaux to Cairo on 25 October and Nantes to Cairo in late October. The visa costs about $30, and the FCDO travel advice is worth reading before you go.
How far is Sphinx Airport from Cairo?
About 42 km from the centre, on the desert road from Cairo to Alexandria, which is close to an hour by road in light traffic. There’s no mass transit, so arrange a private transfer or a pre-agreed taxi.
Can you see Lapland on a low-cost flight from Paris?
Yes, with Transavia France: Paris-Orly to Kajaani every Saturday from 12 December 2026 to 20 March 2027, from €45. The Vuokatti resort is nearby. The northern lights are possible but never guaranteed.
Do you need an authorisation to fly to Southampton or London?
If you’re not a British or Irish citizen, yes: the UK ETA, at £20 since 8 April 2026, on top of a passport. See gov.uk/eta and our dedicated guide.
Sources
- Air Journal, easyJet: nine new routes from France: announcement of 24 April 2026
- Air Journal, Transavia France winter 2026-2027: announcement of 19 May 2026
- Air Journal, French bee Malé and Colombo: fares and code-share
- TourMaG, easyJet Lille-Prague
- TourMaG, Transavia Orly-Kajaani
- TourMaG, Transavia France winter
- Lyon Capitale, easyJet Lyon-Nice
- Ulysse, French bee Malé and Colombo
- AeroRoutes, NW26 schedules (easyJet, Ryanair, Wizz Air, Transavia)
- Bordeaux Airport, press releases of 24 April and 19 May 2026
- GOV.UK, FCDO travel advice for Egypt
- French foreign ministry, Egypt (updated 10 September 2026)
- GOV.UK, Electronic Travel Authorisation
Research carried out on 7 October 2026. Schedules and headline fares may change: check them on the airline’s website before you book.
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