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Ryanair is adding a direct link between Bournemouth and the Sicilian city of Trapani from late March 2026, opening up a new, low-cost gateway to western Sicily for holidaymakers across southern England.
A new Mediterranean route for the South Coast
The Irish low fares carrier has confirmed that Bournemouth to Trapani will form part of its Bournemouth Summer 2026 schedule, with services due to begin on 31 March 2026. The route appears in flight schedules as a non stop service of around three hours, operated by Ryanair from Bournemouth Airport to Trapani Birgi Airport on Sicily’s west coast.
The addition gives Dorset and Hampshire travellers a direct connection to Sicily for the first time, avoiding the need to connect via London or other European hubs. It also strengthens Bournemouth’s position as a growing regional airport for Mediterranean leisure traffic, alongside existing links to destinations such as Alicante, Malaga and the Greek islands.
Ryanair has said its Summer 2026 programme at Bournemouth will feature 20 destinations, with Trapani among the headline additions. The schedule is supported by two based aircraft at the airport, representing a local investment valued at around 200 million dollars and underpinning the carrier’s ambition to draw more passengers from across the South of England.
Sample fares currently advertised for Bournemouth to Trapani start from below twenty pounds one way on selected dates in April, highlighting the airline’s budget positioning. Launch day prices are higher, but off peak midweek departures later in the season are being promoted at entry level sale fares aimed at stimulating demand.
Trapani’s growing role in Ryanair’s Sicilian network
The Bournemouth link is part of a wider push by Ryanair in western Sicily, where the airline is reopening its base at Trapani and stationing two Boeing 737 aircraft from January 2026. Trapani Birgi becomes the carrier’s third base on the island, alongside Palermo and Catania, and its twentieth base in Italy overall.
From Trapani, Ryanair plans to serve more than twenty routes across Italy and Europe in 2025 and 2026, including new services to cities such as Bari, Saarbrücken, Stockholm and Verona. Bournemouth joins this expanding network as one of a small number of UK and Irish connections, reflecting the airline’s confidence in Trapani’s appeal to British holidaymakers.
The expansion has been supported by regional policy decisions in Sicily, where authorities have removed a municipal surcharge at smaller island airports. Ryanair executives have credited that move with making investment in Trapani commercially viable again, predicting that the base could support more than a million passengers per year and hundreds of local jobs once fully ramped up.
Industry data already shows Ryanair as the dominant carrier at Trapani, accounting for the vast majority of scheduled seat capacity and offering links to around two dozen destinations in the first half of 2026. The new Bournemouth service fits into that strategy as a niche but potentially high yielding UK leisure route connecting directly to the western side of Sicily.
What the route offers UK travellers
For passengers in Dorset, Hampshire and the wider south coast region, the direct link to Trapani significantly shortens travel times to western Sicily. Journey time is scheduled at approximately three hours gate to gate, avoiding domestic connections or overland transfers from Palermo or Catania for those heading to beach resorts and heritage towns in the far west of the island.
Twice weekly frequencies, currently set for Tuesdays and Saturdays at launch, are tailored to typical holiday patterns, enabling week long or long weekend trips. While the limited schedule means less flexibility for business travellers, it suits leisure passengers looking to build short breaks around school holidays or shoulder season escapes.
With one way fares advertised from the mid teens in pounds on certain dates, the route is positioned firmly at the budget end of the market. Ancillary revenues from seat selection, baggage and onboard sales will be central to Ryanair’s economics, but the headline ticket prices bring Sicily within reach for price sensitive travellers who might otherwise opt for mainland Spain or Portugal.
The service also adds resilience to Bournemouth’s route map at a time when regional airports are competing aggressively for low cost capacity. As airlines redeploy aircraft toward markets with strong outbound demand, a proven Mediterranean draw such as Sicily gives Bournemouth another flagship sun route to market in tandem with package operators and independent agents.
Trapani and western Sicily in the spotlight
Trapani itself is being promoted by tourism bodies as an authentic alternative to Sicily’s more familiar hotspots. The compact port city is often described as the city on two seas, sitting on a narrow peninsula between the Tyrrhenian Sea and the wider Mediterranean. Its historic centre is lined with Baroque churches, palazzi and waterfront promenades, while nearby beaches such as Spiaggia delle Mura di Tramontana are known for clear waters and sunset views.
From Trapani, visitors can easily reach the hill town of Erice by cable car, explore the salt pans and windmills along the coast, or take ferries to the Egadi Islands for hiking and diving. The city is also within driving distance of Segesta and Selinunte, two of Sicily’s most impressive archaeological parks, making it a convenient base for exploring a broad swathe of the island’s western coastline.
Accommodation options in and around Trapani range from simple guesthouses in the historic centre to contemporary seaside hotels and converted palazzi with rooftop terraces. With direct flights lowering access costs, local hoteliers and restaurateurs are expected to benefit from greater British footfall, particularly in shoulder seasons when room rates can be more competitive than in peak summer.
The Easter period is traditionally a strong draw for domestic and international visitors, thanks in part to the ornate Processione dei Misteri, a 24 hour religious procession that winds through the streets of Trapani. The timing of the new route, starting days before Easter 2026, positions Bournemouth passengers to experience these events on one of the first sets of flights.
Boost for regional economies on both sides
Ryanair’s decision to link Bournemouth and Trapani reflects a broader trend of low cost airlines connecting secondary cities directly, bypassing traditional hubs. For western Sicily, additional UK visitors support local tourism businesses, from car rental firms to family run restaurants, and reinforce the case for continued investment in airport facilities and coastal infrastructure.
On the UK side, Bournemouth Airport gains further justification for recent upgrades and expansion plans. The growing Ryanair schedule, which the airline describes as its biggest ever from the airport, supports jobs in ground handling, maintenance and retail, while helping to retain outbound travellers who might otherwise default to London airports.
Local tourism officials in Dorset are also keen to highlight the inbound potential of the new link. Direct flights from Sicily offer an opportunity to attract Italian visitors to the English south coast, promoting attractions such as the Jurassic Coast, New Forest and Bournemouth’s own seafront as twin centre options for travellers combining the UK and Mediterranean trips.
With tickets on sale and the first Bournemouth to Trapani departure set for 31 March 2026, attention now turns to booking patterns over the coming months. If load factors build as expected, the twice weekly service could become a fixture of Bournemouth’s summer schedules and a template for further niche Mediterranean routes from regional UK airports.