East Midlands Airport, an international airport located in Leicestershire, England, will add seven new routes in 2026. The announcement comes as the new Lufthansa-Turkish Airlines joint venture SunExpress is set to begin its operations from the airport this year.
SunExpress comes to East Midlands Airport
SunExpress, a new airline, will run two new routes from the East Midlands Airport, including its run routes to Antalya in Türkiye for the first time from this Easter. The airline will operate up to three times a week until October. It has opened up bookings for flights and holidays.
SunExpress is a Lufthansa and Turkish Airlines joint venture which has been running routes in Germany. It currently operates from 14 airports in the UK and Ireland.
New routes from Jet2 and TUI
Apart from SunExpress, Jet2 and TUI have also added new flights from the airport. Jet2 will operate flights to five new destinations from East Midlands across central Europe and northern Africa. The new destinations include Preveza, Thessaloniki and Chania in Greece, along with Pula in Croatia, and Agadir in Morocco which will be a new addition for the winter.
The airline has also added additional flights and holidays for Jersey, with new Saturday services through to October.
In addition to new routes from Jet2, TUI will be reintroducing the Egyptian destination of Sharm El Sheikh this summer. The airline last operated on the route three years ago. It will be reintroducing two weekly flights to Sharm El Sheikh from Easter, following strong customer demand.
Last summer, TUI launched a host of new routes, including those to Boa Vista in Cape Verde and Burgas, which is located on Bulgaria’s coastline. Both these destinations will be available this year.
New improvements to the airport
Fliers will be able to benefit from the new improvements to the airport over the last two years, with further updates expected by the summer of 2026.
The airport has already introduced a “new-look security hall” that includes next-generation scanners, new and refurbished restaurants, additional seating, improved wi-fi services, new water refill stations and electronic customer service kiosks. It has also extended and refurbished the Escape Lounge and improved its Meet & Greet office, along with introducing a cashless payment system for more efficient Rapid Drop Off arrangements. The airport is planning to add more shops and restaurants ahead of this Easter while upgrading the Immigration hall and arrivals zone.
East Midlands Airport Managing Director Steve Griffiths said:
“I’m pleased we will be enhancing the arrivals experience which we know from customer feedback has fallen below expectations. The changes we’re putting in place will mean there’s a proper welcome to East Midlands for inbound customers.
“For those heading out, there are huge changes underway in the departure lounge, from new stores and eateries to a new quiet room and games and activities area for younger travellers.”
Currently, the airport has operational routes to 66 destinations, including Europe and North Africa.
Have you ever flown from East Midlands Airport before? Do share your experience in the comments below.
