Jet2 has marked the launch of its brand-new route to La Palma, after the UK’s favourite airline and tour operator’s inaugural flight departed from Manchester Airport on Friday (3rd April) afternoon.

Perfectly timed for the Easter holidays, the full flight signalled the start of Jet2 operating award-winning flights and holidays to La Palma for Summer 2026 – its fifth destination in the Canary Islands. 

As a result of the new flying programme, Jet2 has two weekly services (Monday and Friday) on sale year-round from Manchester Airport to La Palma, offering customers the opportunity to enjoy the destination’s year-round climate across all seasons.

In addition, holidaymakers from London, Essex and the Southeast will also be able to experience La Palma’s subtropical landscape, natural beauty and culture from 6th November 2026, as Jet2 will offer weekly Friday flights to the Canary Island from London Stansted Airport from this date. This route from London Stansted to La Palma is exclusive to Jet2. 

To mark its inaugural flight to La Palma, Jet2 held a celebration at the airport, with customers on the first flight receiving a VIP welcome at the boarding gate to help get them in the holiday spirit. One lucky holidaymaker was also gifted a pair of return flights with Jet2.com. 

Known as ‘La Isla Bonita’ (the beautiful island), La Palma is a UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve with 19 protected natural spots and offers a memorable getaway with an adventurous twist. Holidaymakers can wander luscious woodlands paired with breathtaking sea views and follow this by enjoying a spot of stargazing under twinkling skies. Sleepy seaside villages and resorts like Los Cancajos and Puerto Naos offer black-sand beaches and peaceful promenades, while the capital Santa Cruz charms with its cobbled streets and colonial-style buildings. At the heart of the island, the volcanic landscape promises epic hikes and postcard-perfect panoramas. 

The addition of La Palma means Jet2 will operate to five destinations across the Canary Islands from Summer 2026 (Fuerteventura, Gran Canaria, La Palma, Lanzarote and Tenerife) and comes on the back of continued demand from UK holidaymakers looking to take advantage of the year-round sunshine the islands offer.

The launch gives customers the opportunity to enjoy award-winning flights and holidays to La Palma for the first time with the airline and tour operator. Whether booking flights with Jet2.com or a package getaway with Jet2holidays, holidaymakers can experience the company’s industry leading customer service which has seen both brands be named Which? Recommended Providers. 

Jet2holidays’ ATOL-protected package holidays include return transfers, VIP customer service and in-resort Customer Helpers, along with friendly flight times and a generous 22kg baggage allowance with Jet2.com all for a low £60 per person deposit. 

Customers flying with Jet2.com receive that very same award-winning customer service, a 10kg hand luggage allowance, great flight times and friendly low fares. 

Steve Heapy, CEO of Jet2.com and Jet2holidays, said: “We are delighted to see our first flight to La Palma take-off, signalling the start of our Summer 2026 flying programme to the new Canary Island. The addition of a fifth Canary Island destination comes off the back of continued demand from holidaymakers looking to enjoy some sunshine all year-round, and we are pleased to be giving them the chance to explore the natural beauty of the island. We look forward to taking customers to this Canarian archipelago this summer and for many more summers to come.”

Stephen Turner, Chief Commercial Officer at Manchester Airport, said: “We’re proud to connect people in the North with the places they want to fly to, and the Canary Islands is among the most popular holiday destination for sunseekers travelling from Manchester. That's why it’s great to see Jet2 adding a fifth destination in this part of the world to its route network here at Manchester. Passengers flying with Jet2 from Manchester also benefit from the use of our fantastic new facilities in Terminal 2, where we're about to complete a decade-long, £1.3bn transformation project, creating a world-class passenger experience.”

The Minister of Tourism of the Cabildo of La Palma, Raquel Rebollo, says she is “very pleased with all the work carried out over the past two years, always in collaboration with Jet2, to make the launch of this operation from the United Kingdom to the island of La Palma possible.”