Good news for holidaymakers looking to book a winter break.
Ryanair has launched new routes from Edinburgh Airport for winter holidays (Image: Getty Images )
Looking to book an end-of-the-year break? Then Ryanair has recently announced its winter schedule for Edinburgh Airport – and it includes a few new European hotspots.
The budget airline operates a major base from the Scottish airport where it serves millions of passengers every year. To meet demand, it has announced a total of 46 routes from the capital city.
Travel options over the coming months will include three new European destinations. These are Italy’s fashion capital Milan, Tirana, the capital of Albania and, lastly, Warsaw, the capital of Poland.
Ryanair has also confirmed that it will be operating 13 existing routes to winter locations and business destinations, such as Barcelona, Madrid and Malaga. This also includes top city break destinations to Budapest, Krakow and Prague.
To celebrate the opening of its 2026 winter schedule, the budget airline is living up to its reputation by launching a limited time seat sale. Fares are said to cost from £29.99 and are available to book now through Ryanair.com or the app.
It also comes as part of a major $1.1 billion investment into Edinburgh Airport where the travel firm serves 5.4 million passengers per year, marking a total growth of 11 percent. Operating 11 aircrafts in the Scottish capital, Ryanair says it supports 1,700 local jobs and “drives year-round inbound tourism.”
Ryanair’s Director of Comms, Jade Kirwan, said: “As the UK’s No.1 airline for low fares and reliability, we are pleased to announce Ryanair’s Winter 2026 schedule for Edinburgh, with 46 routes including 3 new routes to Milan, Tirana and Warsaw.
“This robust schedule, underpinned by Ryanair’s $1.1 billion investment in 11 Edinburgh-based aircraft, offers our customers throughout Scotland even more low-fare choice and regular connections for their winter getaways, whilst driving invaluable inbound tourism at the same time.
Kirwan added that the airline is expected to carry a total of 63 million passengers to and from the UK throughout 2026, which is said to be “almost double” the amount of the air traffic from British Airways, making Ryanair “the biggest airline” across the country.
The Director of Comms went on to say that “while Ryanair wishes to continue to invest and grow in Edinburgh”, it is being restricted by the Govt’s Airline Passenger Duty (APD) that was raised to £15 per departing passenger on April 1, with the rate set to rise again in April 2027.
Jade further added: “This penal tax on ordinary UK passengers is making the UK – particularly the regions – decreasingly uncompetitive compared to other cost-reducing destinations elsewhere in Europe, that are abolishing aviation taxes and lowering airport fees to support airline investment and traffic, tourism and jobs growth.
“The UK has gone the wrong way by raising APD to £15 per passenger. If this Govt is serious about growing aviation and tourism, especially in the regions, then it should abolish UK APD altogether at a cost of £2.5 billion p.a., which would see a surge of new routes and growth in visitors to the UK in general, and to the UK regions in particular.”
Head of Aviation at Edinburgh Airport, Lynsey Burns, said: “Winter might be on the way, but these new routes give passengers plenty to look forward to. Whether it’s a weekend in Milan, discovering Tirana or exploring Warsaw, these additions, alongside the many destinations already served by Ryanair, provide even more opportunities to travel from Scotland’s busiest airport and strengthen our links with key European markets.”
Ryanair is not the only budget airline announcing new routes from Scottish airports, as easyJet has also recently launched 18 new UK flights – with six taking off from two airports across Scotland.
Starting from March 2027, four will set off from Edinburgh, while a further two will fly from Aberdeen. All are now officially available to book on the budget airline’s website or through the app.
From the capital, travellers can book trips to trendy hotspots Hamburg, Tivat, Bilbao and Rome Fiumicino. From the North East, new routes now include Barcelona and Palma del Mallorca.
