Jersey’s ambitions as a year round visitor destination and offshore business hub have received a fresh lift after Loganair unveiled four new routes from the island, including its first ever service to France. The Scottish regional carrier is promising competitive lead in fares and seamless onward connectivity, in a move industry figures say will significantly strengthen both tourism and trade at a time when the Channel Islands are rebuilding their air networks after the collapse of Blue Islands.

Four New Routes Put Jersey Back on the Map

Loganair confirmed that it will launch direct flights from Jersey to Paris Charles de Gaulle, Dublin, Norwich and East Midlands for the Summer 2026 season, with services going on sale immediately. The announcement, made on 14 February, was billed by the airline and local officials as a major boost to the island’s transport links and a visible sign of Loganair’s long term commitment to building a hub operation in Jersey.

The new services will operate on staggered start dates across late spring and early summer. Flights to Norwich are scheduled on Saturdays from 9 May to 19 September, targeting peak leisure and second home demand. A daily East Midlands link is due to run from 31 May through to the end of the summer season, while Paris Charles de Gaulle will be served on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays from 31 May. Dublin flights are timed for Mondays and Fridays from 1 June, giving both long weekend leisure travellers and business passengers two weekly options.

Loganair is pitching the routes as an integrated package of connectivity for an island that relies heavily on air links for visitors, residents and corporate travellers. Alongside the four new destinations, the carrier plans to increase capacity on its existing Jersey to Bristol operation from June, adding more weekday frequency and a choice of two Sunday services. The build up comes as work continues to establish a permanent operating base at Jersey Airport, following Loganair’s emergency entry into the market in late 2025 when Blue Islands abruptly ceased flying.

Low Lead in Fares Aim to Stimulate Demand

To drive early bookings and underline its value credentials, Loganair has published introductory one way fares that it hopes will tempt both islanders and inbound visitors. Entry level tickets start from 84.99 pounds to East Midlands, 89.99 pounds to Dublin, 94.99 pounds to Paris Charles de Gaulle and 99.99 pounds to Norwich, according to schedules released by the airline and local media. While these are headline prices and subject to availability, they mark an effort to keep Channel Islands flying competitive with rival regional and low cost operators on similar length sectors around the British Isles and near continent.

The fares are underpinned by Loganair’s standard 21 kilogram checked baggage allowance, allocated seating and onboard refreshments, which are included as part of the ticket rather than as ancillary add ons. For many Jersey travellers accustomed to low cost carriers serving UK city routes, the combination of full service style inclusions and relatively low entry fares is likely to be presented as a key differentiator, particularly for families travelling with luggage for longer summer stays.

Pricing strategy will be central to the success of the new programme. Tourism officials in Jersey have repeatedly stressed that connectivity must not only exist on paper but be accessible to a broad range of travellers if the island is to compete with Mediterranean and UK coastal destinations. By setting out clear lead in fares months ahead of operations, Loganair is giving the holiday market time to react and travel agents space to build the new links into packages for summer 2026.

Paris and Dublin Open Strategic Gateways

The headline grabbing element of the announcement is Loganair’s first ever route to France, with the launch of a three times weekly Jersey to Paris Charles de Gaulle service. The route restores a lost connection after Blue Islands, which had previously linked Jersey with the French capital, went into liquidation in November 2025. For the island, a direct link into one of Europe’s busiest hub airports is more than a city break option; it is a strategic gateway into global long haul networks operated by major carriers.

Charles de Gaulle is home to extensive intercontinental services operated by several alliance and partner airlines. While Loganair has not yet detailed any specific Paris interline or codeshare arrangements, the carrier already works with a list of major global airlines over UK hubs such as London Heathrow, Manchester and Dublin, enabling single ticket itineraries and through checked baggage. Industry observers expect that similar arrangements could in time be leveraged via Paris, giving Jersey based businesses and residents an alternative one stop path to markets in North America, the Middle East and Asia.

The new Dublin route also has significance beyond point to point leisure traffic. Operating twice weekly on Mondays and Fridays, it offers convenient weekend options for Irish visitors drawn to Jersey’s beaches, heritage and culinary scene, and for islanders seeking short breaks in the Irish capital. At the same time, Loganair’s partnership agreements with Aer Lingus and other carriers using Dublin as a transatlantic gateway create opportunities for smooth onward connections, including US preclearance for eligible itineraries. This positions Dublin as another valuable hub in Jersey’s expanding web of international air links.

While Paris and Dublin grab the headlines, the addition of East Midlands and Norwich routes underlines Jersey’s determination to deepen its connectivity with the UK regions, not just major London airports. The daily East Midlands service, running from the end of May through the summer season, will open up easier access for travellers from the Midlands and surrounding counties, who currently often connect via other UK airports or ferry routes to reach the Channel Islands.

Norwich, served weekly on Saturdays from early May to mid September, taps into a catchment area in East Anglia that has historically had limited direct air links to the Channel Islands. Summer Saturday services are tailored to leisure visitors, second home owners and package holidaymakers, including those booking week long or fortnight stays in Jersey. The timing of the schedule, aligned with peak holiday turnover days, makes it easier for tour operators to bundle air and accommodation product for families and older travellers who prefer flying to long ferry crossings or complex rail connections.

Combined with the enhanced Bristol frequencies and a planned daily Southampton route from 2026, Loganair’s network from Jersey begins to resemble a lattice of domestic links comparable to those enjoyed by much larger UK regional airports. This densification is vital for the island’s visitor economy, broadening the pool of potential tourists beyond the traditional core markets in the south of England. It also supports residents who travel frequently to the mainland for work, education, healthcare and visiting friends and relatives.

Filling the Void After Blue Islands Collapse

The expansion comes against the backdrop of significant upheaval in the Channel Islands aviation market. Blue Islands, long a key operator for Jersey and Guernsey, suspended all flights and went into administration in mid November 2025 after the government of Jersey signalled it could no longer provide further financial support. The airline’s sudden withdrawal removed a range of routes connecting Jersey with UK regional airports and European destinations, including services to Southampton, Bristol, East Midlands, Exeter, Dublin and Paris.

In the immediate aftermath, Loganair stepped in with so called rescue fares on several former Blue Islands routes such as Jersey to Bristol, Exeter and Southampton, along with flights linking Jersey and Guernsey. Ports of Jersey hailed the move as essential in maintaining medical and community lifeline services, particularly on the Southampton corridor, which many islanders rely on for hospital appointments and specialist treatment. Aurigny, the Guernsey government owned carrier, also boosted capacity on inter island and Guernsey to Southampton sectors.

Since then, a more permanent reshaping of the route network has been under way. Aurigny has secured licences to operate regular Jersey to Guernsey flights, and has released its own summer schedules for Channel Islands and Alderney services. Loganair, meanwhile, has confirmed plans to establish a permanent base at Jersey Airport and steadily build a portfolio of routes that not only backfill former Blue Islands services but broaden the island’s reach. The four new routes unveiled for Summer 2026 can be seen as the next phase of that strategy, moving from crisis response to proactive growth.

Tourism Sector Sees Opportunity in Wider Access

Visit Jersey and local hospitality leaders have been quick to highlight the potential of the new flights to attract more visitors in a highly competitive travel market. Direct flights from four additional cities and the promise of affordable fares give destination marketers fresh hooks to promote short breaks and longer stays, particularly to audiences who may have considered Jersey logistically complicated or more expensive to reach than mainland seaside resorts or overseas sun spots.

Direct access from Paris and Dublin is expected to be especially attractive for higher spending international tourists who value convenience and are often drawn to niche destinations with strong food, culture and nature offerings. Jersey’s mix of maritime heritage, coastal walking, historic sites and growing reputation for fine dining provides a differentiated proposition for these city based travellers, who typically stay in boutique hotels and guesthouses and dine out frequently during their stays.

For UK regional markets, tourism businesses anticipate benefits from easier and more frequent services out of East Midlands, Norwich and Bristol. Hotels, self catering operators and attractions will be able to work more closely with tour operators and travel agents in those catchment areas to develop packages tied specifically to the new flight timings. The predictability of a seasonal schedule, and the clarity around baggage inclusive pricing, can help smooth negotiations on group allotments and marketing campaigns well in advance of the 2026 peak season.

Business and Finance Sectors Welcome Connectivity Boost

Beyond leisure tourism, Jersey’s role as an international finance centre and corporate domicile means air access is a critical factor in its competitiveness. Professionals from London, the Midlands, Ireland and continental Europe regularly shuttle to the island for meetings, due diligence visits and conferences, while Jersey based firms depend on reliable links to client hubs worldwide. The addition of Paris and Dublin as direct gateways, coupled with enhanced UK regional services, is being framed as an important support for the island’s broader economic strategy.

Executives in legal, fiduciary and fund management sectors say that more choice of routes and airlines reduces the risk of disruption and enhances the island’s appeal as a place to do business. Direct flights can shorten journey times and lessen the need for overnight stays on connecting legs, particularly when travellers can make use of onward flights on partner airlines via major hubs. With Loganair aligning its schedule to feed into early morning and late evening bank of departures at airports like Paris and Dublin, business travellers may be able to complete some trips in a single day that previously required two or more.

Improved connectivity also supports conference and incentive travel, a segment Jersey has been targeting through investment in meeting facilities and marketing campaigns. Organisers of financial and professional services events often weigh accessibility heavily when choosing venues. The prospect of delegates flying direct from multiple UK regional cities, as well as from Paris and Dublin, could give the island a stronger pitch in bidding for mid sized international gatherings in the coming years.

Building a Sustainable Long Term Network

While the announcement of four new routes is being greeted with optimism, aviation analysts caution that sustained success will depend on consistently strong load factors and continued collaboration between the airline, the airport and government agencies. Seasonal services such as Norwich, and even the Paris and Dublin links, will need robust marketing support in both origin and destination markets to ensure they remain commercially viable beyond an initial novelty period.

Ports of Jersey has described the Loganair expansion as another key milestone in a wider strategy to rebuild and stabilise air connectivity after a turbulent period. Officials have emphasised that the island aims to cultivate long term partnerships with carriers that are prepared to invest in based aircraft, local employment and integrated networks, rather than relying solely on opportunistic seasonal operators. Loganair’s decision to establish a permanent base and progressively add routes fits that template, but will inevitably be tested by broader economic conditions and competitive pressures.

For now, the combination of low lead in fares, additional UK regional links and two high profile European gateways presents a compelling narrative of recovery and renewal for Jersey’s air services. If travellers respond as hoped, the four new Loganair routes could mark a turning point, transforming an emergency intervention following the demise of Blue Islands into a platform for sustained growth in both tourism and business travel to the Channel Island.