Jersey is sharpening its focus on the French market and reshaping its air links with the United Kingdom as the island seeks to drive year round growth in its visitor economy. A new seasonal direct connection to Paris, trial links to Brittany and a raft of extra UK services for summer 2026 are being positioned by officials and tourism leaders as a step change in flexibility and convenience for both French holidaymakers and British travellers looking for short breaks in the Channel Islands.
New Paris link puts Jersey back on the map for French city breakers
The centrepiece of Jersey’s French push is the restoration of a direct air link to Paris, introduced by regional carrier Blue Islands. The airline began operating twice weekly flights between Jersey and the French capital in May 2025, with services running on Mondays and Thursdays through to the end of October and already confirmed to return in 2026. The route gives French visitors in and around Paris a non stop option to reach the island in under 90 minutes, sidestepping the need to connect via UK hubs.
For Jersey’s tourism authorities, the Paris service is more than a convenience upgrade. It directly supports a renewed focus on France as a core source market, building on earlier ferry led campaigns that targeted visitors from Brittany, Normandy and the Paris region. Visit Jersey’s recent French marketing has stressed the island’s identity as a “slice of Britain on their doorstep” combined with easy access, coastal scenery and food led experiences, a positioning that becomes far easier to sustain with a direct air bridge to the capital.
Ports of Jersey executives have described additional routes to France as “absolutely” a priority as they negotiate with airlines over their 2026 and 2027 schedules. The Paris connection is seen internally as proof of concept that targeted support and marketing can make point to point French services commercially viable, encouraging carriers to look again at other mainland cities within easy flying range of the Channel Islands.
Trial links with Brittany broaden French access beyond Paris
Alongside the capital connection, Jersey is also experimenting with more regional French access. In summer 2025, Breton airline Finistair launched a government backed trial of direct flights between Jersey and Brest, operating twice weekly on Fridays and Sundays between late June and the end of August. The service, flown on a Cessna Grand Caravan configured for short regional hops, was marketed as a fast alternative to the ferry for travellers from western Brittany.
Officials in Jersey have positioned the Brest trial as a way of testing appetite for a longer term link between the island and the Breton coast. Brest’s airport acts as a modest regional hub, offering onward connectivity into other parts of France and continental Europe, and the route has been presented as a means of deepening cultural, social and economic ties with Brittany. Its performance is expected to inform future decisions on whether to back additional French regional services in the coming years.
The combination of the Paris route and the Brest experiment signals a more nuanced French strategy, one that no longer relies solely on sea crossings from St Malo. While ferries remain important for day trippers and longer stays by car, air links are being used to reach urban and higher spending segments that are more accustomed to booking last minute flights for short breaks. For French visitors, the message is that Jersey can now be treated as an easy to access island escape rather than a complex cross border journey.
Government support and data driven tourism strategy underpin expansion
The growing web of connections is anchored in the Government of Jersey’s Visitor Economy Strategy and a detailed route development plan drawn up with Ports of Jersey. In recent years, ministers have committed up to £2 million over a two year period to support the development of new routes, offering targeted backing to airlines willing to test or expand services that align with the island’s long term tourism objectives.
The strategy stresses sustainable, year round growth rather than purely chasing headline visitor numbers in peak summer. To that end, Jersey’s tourism bodies are using granular booking and search data from airlines, online travel agencies and their own campaigns to identify gaps in connectivity and shifting travel patterns. Tactical marketing campaigns in 2025 have been focused on the island’s three priority markets of the UK, France and Germany, with flexible budgets enabling quick responses to spikes in interest or availability.
French visitors are a core part of this calculus. Earlier campaigns in France highlighted that the typical visitor from across the Channel spans a broad age range and is particularly interested in walking, cycling, coastal nature, food and culture. With the Paris and Brest air links now in place, tourism officials believe they can convert that interest more effectively, by matching inspirational messaging in French cities with simple, well timed flight options and packaged short breaks.
More UK flights in 2026 promise new levels of flexibility
While France is a headline growth target, the backbone of Jersey’s visitor economy remains the UK. Airlines are responding with a significant uplift in capacity and choice for summer 2026, aimed at both residents and inbound holidaymakers. Low cost carrier Jet2 is set to boost its Jersey operation by 50 percent next year compared with 2025, introducing a new twice weekly service from Bournemouth and adding frequencies and season extensions on its existing routes from Newcastle, Leeds Bradford and East Midlands.
The Bournemouth link, which will operate twice weekly, is expected to add more than 7,000 seats over the season, opening a fresh gateway from the south coast of England. Additional weekly services to Newcastle will almost double capacity on that route, while longer operating seasons from Leeds Bradford and East Midlands are designed to stretch demand beyond the traditional high summer weeks. Jet2’s expansion has been hailed by local officials as a strong vote of confidence in Jersey’s tourism offer and in the stability of its partnerships with airlines.
easyJet is also deepening its Jersey network. From 30 March 2026, the carrier will launch a new route to London Southend, operating twice weekly on Mondays and Thursdays. The airport joins an existing easyJet portfolio from Jersey that includes London Gatwick, London Luton, Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool, Edinburgh and Glasgow. For travellers, the addition of Southend offers another way to reach the London area and onward rail connections, increasing the island’s appeal for flexible, short notice escapes.
New UK regional base reinforces connectivity and reliability
The wider UK regional aviation picture is also shifting in ways that benefit Jersey. Loganair, which already operates services linking the island with parts of Britain, has opened a new base at Southampton Airport at the start of 2026. With aircraft and crews now permanently based on the south coast, the airline is aiming to strengthen resilience across its network and improve reliability on routes that connect smaller regional cities and islands.
Southampton is an important gateway airport for Channel Islands services, given its catchment across southern England and direct rail link to London. As Loganair scales operations at the base through to March 2026, local aviation leaders expect the move to translate into more dependable timetables and improved recovery from disruption, both of which are crucial for building traveller confidence in short break destinations like Jersey.
Coupled with the increase in services from Jet2 and easyJet, the enhanced Southampton base supports Jersey’s narrative of greater flexibility. UK travellers are being offered more departure points, more days of the week to travel and a wider spread of flight times, making it easier to fit an island visit into busy work and family schedules. In turn, that flexibility is vital for tourism businesses that want to attract weekenders and shoulder season visitors outside the school holiday peak.
Hub connections open Jersey to wider European and global markets
Alongside point to point links, Jersey is also investing in its role within wider European air networks. From April 2026, KLM will restart its service between Jersey and Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport, initially with weekly flights before ramping up to a daily schedule during the peak summer months of July and August. Operated by KLM Cityhopper’s Embraer jets, the route plugs Jersey directly into one of Europe’s most important hub airports, with onward connections to more than 160 destinations worldwide.
Tourism and business leaders on the island have welcomed the Amsterdam link as a strategic milestone. Beyond giving Dutch travellers easier access to Jersey, it offers the opportunity to tap into long haul markets where KLM has a strong presence, from North America to Asia and Africa. The airline’s loyalty programme and packaged holiday products are expected to help raise Jersey’s profile among travellers who might not previously have considered a short stop in the Channel Islands as part of a wider European itinerary.
These hub links complement existing connectivity via London Heathrow under a multiyear agreement with British Airways, positioning Jersey as a more reachable destination from a global perspective. For French travellers in particular, the combination of direct flights from Paris and Brest with the Amsterdam hub option creates multiple pathways to reach the island, whether via a simple point to point ticket or a through journey with a single airline alliance.
Airport upgrades aim to match connectivity with a better experience
As route maps evolve, Jersey is also investing heavily in its on the ground infrastructure to ensure the airport experience matches the ambitions of its tourism strategy. In January 2026, work entered a significant new phase on the redevelopment of the island’s departure lounge, part of a ten year programme of upgrades funded by Ports of Jersey. Construction is being carried out while the terminal remains fully operational, with temporary walkways and waiting areas put in place to guide passengers through the building.
The redevelopment focuses on creating a brighter, more comfortable environment that better reflects Jersey’s character and provides the kind of facilities international visitors expect. Existing food, drink and retail outlets are remaining open during the works, some in relocated or temporary spaces, while future phases will introduce a new sit down dining venue, upgraded bar and grab and go café. The current phase is scheduled to complete in summer 2026, with subsequent stages planned into 2027.
Airport managers say the goal is to enhance first and last impressions of the island for everyone passing through, from French weekenders flying in from Paris to British families heading home after a beach holiday. By coordinating closely with local businesses and community groups in the design process, they are aiming to build a terminal that feels distinctive rather than generic, while still delivering the efficiency and clarity of layout that modern travellers demand.
French market ambitions tied to broader year round tourism growth
Behind the flurry of route announcements lies a clear ambition: to make Jersey one of the most convenient island escapes for French and British travellers alike, accessible by multiple carriers, from multiple airports and at multiple times of year. For French visitors, the new Paris connection provides a simple air bridge from a major metropolitan centre, while the Brest trial opens a door to regional travellers along the Atlantic coast. When combined with Condor Ferries’ services from St Malo and other ports, the result is a diverse mix of access options tailored to different types of trip.
Visit Jersey and government officials are candid that air routes alone will not deliver their goals. They are pairing connectivity improvements with new accommodation projects, more flexible regulations for holiday lets and sustained investment in marketing campaigns that highlight the island’s nature, heritage and culinary scene. Data gathered from recent French and UK campaigns is feeding back into decisions about which routes to back, which audiences to target and how to spread demand more evenly across the calendar.
As summer 2026 approaches, Jersey’s bet is that better air links, a refreshed airport experience and a more agile, data led tourism strategy will combine to attract more French city breakers and UK short break travellers seeking somewhere that feels both familiar and distinct. With a direct line to Paris, growing capacity from regional UK airports and a new European hub connection through Amsterdam, the island is positioning itself as a flexible, convenient choice in a highly competitive short haul market.