More news on this day
Jet2.com has unveiled a new summer 2027 route from London Gatwick to the Greek island of Lesvos, strengthening the airline’s rapidly expanding Mediterranean network and adding fresh choice for UK holidaymakers.
New Lesvos Route Anchors Jet2’s Gatwick Growth
The newly announced service will operate weekly on Sundays between London Gatwick and Mytilene, the gateway airport to Lesvos, from 2 May to 10 October 2027. Positioned squarely in the peak holiday months, the route is aimed at sun-seekers looking for quieter Aegean escapes beyond the best-known Greek hotspots.
The route forms part of Jet2’s significantly expanded summer 2027 schedule at Gatwick, where the airline has lifted capacity by 27 percent compared with its first full summer of flying. In total, 35 sun and leisure city destinations are on sale from the London hub for that season, with more than 1.1 million seats available.
Lesvos is being marketed as a brand-new and exclusive destination in the Gatwick schedule, underlining Jet2’s strategy of mixing mass-market favourites with lesser-served islands that appeal to repeat visitors to Greece. The carrier is positioning the island’s blend of beaches, traditional villages and historic sites as a compelling alternative to more crowded Aegean resorts.
Jet2’s decision to lock in a full May to October operating window gives both early-season and late-summer travellers from southern England an additional Greek option out of Gatwick, alongside established Greek routes such as Crete, Corfu, Rhodes and Kos.
Strategic Importance for Gatwick and the UK Market
The Lesvos launch highlights how rapidly Jet2 is scaling at London Gatwick. The new base will only see its first flights depart in March 2026, but the airline has already confirmed a larger programme for the following year, including the Lesvos addition. Executives say strong early demand from the South East has justified putting a broader 2027 schedule on sale this far in advance.
From Gatwick’s perspective, the announcement reinforces the airport’s status as a leading UK gateway for Mediterranean leisure travel. Management at the airport has welcomed Jet2’s expansion as a sign of robust demand from London and the wider region, particularly as Gatwick benefits from government approval for more routine use of its Northern Runway.
For consumers, the growing Jet2 presence means more competition on routes where carriers such as easyJet, Tui Airways and British Airways have traditionally been dominant. Industry analysts expect that additional capacity to support sharper pricing and more choice of flight times on classic beach routes, while also helping open up smaller destinations like Lesvos to a broader UK audience.
The Lesvos route also aligns with Jet2’s package-holiday model. By adding a new Greek island into its portfolio from Gatwick, the airline’s tour operating arm can contract more hotels and villas, growing the range of ATOL-protected packages on sale to families, couples and independent travellers in the South East.
Palma de Mallorca and Spanish Mainstays Remain Core
While Lesvos is the headline new destination for summer 2027, Spain remains at the heart of Jet2’s programme from London Gatwick. The airline has boosted capacity to a number of established favourites, notably Palma de Mallorca, Ibiza, Tenerife and Malaga, citing ongoing strong demand for Balearic and Canary Island holidays.
Palma de Mallorca in particular continues to be one of Jet2’s most important Mediterranean gateways. The carrier plans a high-frequency schedule between Gatwick and the Mallorcan capital, reflecting the island’s popularity with families, groups and second-home owners across southern England. The route provides onward access to resorts around Mallorca’s coastline, from the busy bays near Palma to quieter northern and eastern stretches.
For the broader UK market, Palma’s prominence in the Gatwick schedule underlines how Jet2 is using its newest base to deepen its footprint in Spanish tourism, complementing existing operations from other UK airports. The combination of frequent Palma services and the new Lesvos route illustrates the dual focus on tried-and-tested sunspots and emerging alternatives within the same seasonal programme.
Beyond Palma, Jet2 is adding extra seats on Gatwick flights to other Spanish airports including Alicante, Malaga and the Canary Islands. These moves are aimed at spreading capacity across a mix of short and medium-haul options, helping the airline balance demand peaks through school holidays and shoulder seasons.
What the Lesvos Route Means for the Greek Island
For Lesvos, direct links from London Gatwick represent a notable tourism opportunity. The island, located in the northeastern Aegean, has long been popular with domestic visitors and pockets of loyal international travellers, but has traditionally seen fewer direct services from the UK compared with islands such as Crete, Rhodes or Corfu.
Local tourism stakeholders are expected to welcome Jet2’s decision, which brings a large UK tour operator and airline directly into the market for the full 2027 summer season. The weekly Sunday pattern is particularly attractive for hotels and rental properties, giving them predictable changeover days that fit well with seven and fourteen-night holiday packages.
Lesvos offers a different proposition to many of Greece’s better-known party islands, emphasising authentic villages, medieval castles, olive groves and more low-key beaches. Industry observers say the new route could appeal to travellers who have already visited major islands and are seeking a more traditional Greek experience while still benefiting from direct flights and packaged transfers.
With Jet2 also emphasising its in-resort customer support and transfers as part of its package model, tourism businesses on Lesvos can anticipate a steadier stream of visitors who arrive via coordinated charter-style operations, rather than piecemeal independent travel. This potentially helps to extend the season and smooth out demand across spring and autumn shoulder periods.
Connectivity for Lesvos, Mallorca and the Wider Mediterranean
The new Lesvos connection joins a network that already includes dozens of Mediterranean destinations from Gatwick. Alongside Palma de Mallorca and the Spanish costas, Jet2’s summer 2027 schedule lists Greek island favourites such as Crete, Corfu, Kefalonia, Kos, Preveza for Lefkada and Parga, Skiathos, Rhodes and Zante, as well as Turkish resorts and North African sun destinations.
This web of routes positions Gatwick as a particularly strong option for travellers in London, the South East and parts of southern England who prefer to fly from closer to home rather than routing through other UK airports. For Mallorcan residents and expatriates, the busy Palma link facilitates regular travel to and from the UK, while the Lesvos route provides another option for multi-stop Mediterranean itineraries.
By maintaining a strong Palma de Mallorca schedule, Jet2 ensures that Spain’s Balearic hub remains a central pillar of its Gatwick operations, even as it experiments with new destinations like Lesvos. Travellers can expect a blend of high-frequency services to established hubs and more limited but targeted flights to newer or more niche islands.
Industry analysts note that this kind of network planning allows airlines to test emerging markets while relying on proven high-volume routes to sustain aircraft utilisation. In Jet2’s case, Gatwick’s catchment area and the sheer size of the London market offer a sizeable pool of potential customers for both Spanish mainstays and newer Greek offerings.
Fleet, Capacity and the Role of Palma and Lesvos in Jet2’s Strategy
Jet2’s summer 2027 programme from Gatwick will build on a fleet plan that sees six aircraft based at the airport for the start of operations in 2026, including five Airbus A321neo jets. These aircraft are designed to deliver lower fuel burn and reduced emissions per seat, while also offering the dense seating and range needed for Mediterranean trunk routes and longer sectors.
The airline has stressed that its 27 percent capacity increase for summer 2027 reflects a confident view of long-term demand. With more than 1.1 million seats available from Gatwick alone, Jet2 is signalling that it intends to be a long-term player at the airport, competing hard for leisure travellers who might previously have flown with rival carriers.
Within that capacity, Palma de Mallorca represents one of the core pillars, supporting multiple weekly rotations and acting as a reliable volume route. The Lesvos service, by contrast, is a more focused weekly offering, but one that plays an important role in diversifying the network and reinforcing Jet2’s credentials as a specialist in Greek island holidays.
Executives argue that this mix of routes helps the company protect against over-reliance on any single destination, while still giving tour operators enough certainty to contract large blocks of hotel rooms in popular resorts. For Gatwick, the result is a broader palette of Mediterranean destinations served by a single leisure-focused carrier.
Outlook for Summer 2027 Bookings
By placing its summer 2027 Gatwick programme on sale this early, Jet2 is targeting families and groups who plan holidays well in advance, particularly those tied to school breaks. Travel agents in the South East report that customers are increasingly booking more than a year ahead for peak weeks, driven by concerns over availability and pricing at desirable Mediterranean resorts.
The Lesvos route adds a fresh talking point for agents advising repeat visitors to Greece, while the expanded Palma de Mallorca schedule and extra capacity to Spanish favourites give them more flexibility to meet demand during busy periods. Early-bird discounts and low deposits are expected to be central features of Jet2’s sales strategy as it seeks to build forward bookings.
With economic conditions and consumer confidence still subject to change before 2027, industry observers caution that airlines will need to remain agile. However, Jet2’s willingness to commit additional capacity at Gatwick, and to introduce a new island destination such as Lesvos alongside stalwarts like Palma, suggests the carrier sees enduring appetite for overseas holidays from the UK market.
For travellers, the message is clear: summer 2027 will bring more choice out of London Gatwick, whether the goal is a familiar beach in Mallorca or a first-time exploration of Lesvos’s quieter Aegean shores.