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KLM Royal Dutch Airlines is expanding its European footprint for the 2026 summer season, adding new routes from Amsterdam to Jersey, Santiago de Compostela and Oviedo as part of a wider network growth strategy that will see capacity increase by about five percent.
New Destinations Anchor KLM’s Summer 2026 Network
Running from 29 March to 25 October 2026, KLM’s summer schedule will feature 164 destinations worldwide, including 96 within Europe and 68 intercontinental routes. The airline expects to grow total seat capacity by around five percent compared with last summer, driven primarily by additional short-haul services and targeted long-haul expansion.
At the heart of the European build-out are three new destinations: Jersey in the Channel Islands, and Santiago de Compostela and Oviedo in Spain’s northwestern Galicia and Asturias regions. KLM positions these additions as part of a renewed focus on secondary cities that offer strong leisure appeal while feeding long-haul traffic through its Amsterdam Schiphol hub.
According to the airline’s summer schedule announcement, capacity growth within Europe is projected at roughly six percent year on year, underscoring the importance of regional connectivity to KLM’s broader network strategy. The new routes are expected to enhance options for both holidaymakers seeking coastal and cultural escapes and business travelers looking for more direct regional links.
The expansion follows a period of steady recovery in European air travel, with demand particularly strong for flexible city and short-break itineraries. By pairing three new destinations with higher frequencies to existing favourites, KLM aims to reinforce Schiphol’s role as a key northern European gateway.
Amsterdam to Jersey: Stronger Links to the Channel Islands
The launch of KLM’s summer service to Jersey will significantly improve direct access between the Channel Island and mainland Europe. The new Amsterdam route, operated by KLM Cityhopper, is scheduled to start as a weekly service before ramping up to daily flights at the peak of the season in July and August, then returning to a weekly pattern into late October.
Jersey’s tourism authorities have welcomed the development as a major boost to the island’s visitor economy, highlighting Schiphol’s importance as a transfer hub offering one-stop connections from across KLM’s European and intercontinental network. For travelers from northern and eastern Europe in particular, Amsterdam provides a convenient bridge to Jersey without the need to transit through London or regional UK airports.
The new route builds on existing cooperation between KLM and regional carrier Loganair, which recently introduced a codeshare giving Jersey passengers one-ticket connections via UK points into Amsterdam. With the launch of nonstop KLM flights, the island will gain both direct hub access and a broader set of itinerary options for inbound visitors.
Operationally, the route is expected to be served by Embraer E175 and E190 aircraft, which form the backbone of KLM’s short-haul fleet. The use of regional jets allows the airline to match capacity to seasonal demand while maintaining a competitive schedule and product consistent with its wider European network.
Santiago de Compostela and Oviedo Open Up Northern Spain
KLM’s decision to add Santiago de Compostela and Oviedo reflects the growing popularity of Spain’s northern Atlantic coast, which offers a cooler climate, coastal landscapes and strong cultural draw as an alternative to traditional Mediterranean hotspots. Both cities will be served from Amsterdam for the first time in summer 2026.
According to KLM’s published schedules, flights to Oviedo’s Asturias Airport are slated to begin with the start of the summer timetable on 29 March 2026, while services to Santiago de Compostela’s Santiago-Rosalía de Castro Airport are due to commence on 30 May 2026. The staggered launch allows the airline to phase in capacity as the peak holiday period approaches.
Santiago de Compostela is internationally known as the endpoint of the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage routes, drawing visitors from across Europe and beyond. Oviedo, capital of Spain’s Asturias region, anchors a broader coastal and mountain area known for its maritime towns, green landscapes and regional gastronomy. Direct links from Amsterdam are expected to appeal to both leisure travelers and European city trip enthusiasts seeking lesser-known destinations.
As with Jersey, KLM plans to operate the new Spanish routes with Embraer E-Jet aircraft, enabling flexible frequency increases in July and August when demand is highest. The additional services will plug directly into the carrier’s long-haul bank at Schiphol, offering same-day connections from northern Spain into North America, Asia and Africa.
Capacity Growth and Network Strategy Across Europe
The three new routes form part of a broader reshaping of KLM’s European timetable for summer 2026. Alongside the new destinations, the carrier is adding frequencies on several high-demand leisure and city routes, including Cagliari, Istanbul, Dubrovnik, Ljubljana and Cork. Cagliari, on the Italian island of Sardinia, is set to receive daily service throughout the summer, reflecting sustained demand for Mediterranean island travel.
By selectively reinforcing established markets while adding new cities, KLM is pursuing what industry analysts describe as a network optimization strategy focused on both breadth and depth. The airline is targeting destinations that generate strong point-to-point demand yet also feed its long-haul services, helping to balance leisure and corporate revenue streams.
The increased European capacity comes as Schiphol continues to play a critical role in connecting secondary cities across the continent with intercontinental markets. For many travelers in regions such as the Channel Islands, northern Spain, the Balkans and parts of Ireland, Amsterdam serves as the primary one-stop gateway to North America, Asia and Africa via KLM’s joint ventures and partnerships.
Travel trade outlets note that KLM’s European build-out for summer 2026 aligns with a wider trend among network carriers, which are leaning into seasonal flexibility, regional diversification and more granular capacity management after the volatility of recent years.
Implications for Travelers and Competing Hubs
For travelers, the addition of Jersey, Santiago de Compostela and Oviedo translates into more choice of routings, especially for multi-destination summer itineraries. Passengers will be able to combine northern Spain and the Channel Islands with other European cities on a single KLM ticket, using Amsterdam as a connecting point.
The new services also intensify competition among European hubs for regional traffic. Schiphol’s expanded summer schedule positions Amsterdam as an alternative to London, Paris and Madrid for passengers traveling to and from the Channel Islands and Spain’s Atlantic coast. In particular, the combination of new direct flights and coordinated connections is likely to appeal to travelers who prioritize one-stop journeys on a single carrier.
From a tourism perspective, destination marketing bodies in Jersey, Galicia and Asturias are expected to leverage the KLM routes in their summer 2026 campaigns, emphasizing improved access from Scandinavia, the Benelux countries, central Europe and long-haul markets such as North America. Better hub connectivity often translates into longer average stays and higher-spend visitors, a key objective for regional tourism strategies.
With bookings for the summer season typically opening well in advance, travel agencies and tour operators are already starting to package the new routes into their 2026 offerings. If demand matches KLM’s projections, the airline could further adjust frequencies in subsequent seasons, consolidating Jersey, Santiago de Compostela and Oviedo as regular fixtures in its European network.