easyJet abandons major UK airport completely, Málaga and Mallorca flights among routes lost

British travellers who rely on the Yorkshire Airport for direct flights to Spain are set to lose three easyJet routes after the airline confirmed it will pull out of the Yorkshire airport completely from Tuesday January 5, 2027. 

The decision means easyJet services to Málaga, Palma de Mallorca and Barcelona will disappear, affecting passengers heading to the Costa del Sol, Mallorca and Cataluña. Customers with bookings after the closure date are being offered alternative flights or refunds.

easyJet blames a wider network review, not weak demand for Spain

easyJet said the decision followed a review of its routes from the West Yorkshire airport, confirming flights would stop after January 5 next year. The airline said: “We value the relationship we have built with Leeds Bradford Airport and we always keep options for our network under review, with the aim of providing more choice and connectivity where we see demand.”

The exit follows a difficult few months for the airline. easyJet reported a 70 per cent fall in half-year profit in July, after a spike in jet fuel costs linked to the conflict involving Iran added an estimated £105 million (about €122 million) to its bill, alongside weaker demand for shorter trips.

Days later, easyJet agreed to a £5.7 billion (about €6.6 billion) takeover by the US private equity firm Apollo, one of the largest deals in the airline’s history. Leeds Bradford itself remains fully active with eight other airlines, including Ryanair and Jet2, continuing to operate from the airport.

Jet2 already flies all three Spanish routes from Leeds Bradford

For Yorkshire travellers with homes, family or regular holidays in Spain, the change may only be a minor blow to their travel itineraries. Jet2, the airport’s largest operator, already flies direct from Leeds Bradford to Málaga, Palma de Mallorca and Barcelona, and these services will continue to operate as normal.

With easyJet’s departure, although the routes themselves will not be disappearing, passengers are likely to see fewer seats available and less competition on fares as two airlines flying the same route become one. 

Paris and Belfast also lose their easyJet link

Two further routes are being cut alongside the Spanish ones. easyJet flights from Leeds Bradford to Paris Charles de Gaulle and Belfast will also stop from January 5.

The news arrives after some of the airport’s more difficult few years, including the scrapping of a planned £150 million (about €174 million) terminal expansion in 2022. Losing an airline completely, rather than trimming a route or two, does mark a bigger shift than previous cutbacks.

What isn’t yet clear: passenger numbers and fares

easyJet’s exit may not mean the end of all routes to Spain from the Yorkshire airport, but it does leave a few questions unanswered. The airline has not said how many passengers across its five Leeds Bradford routes will be affected, or offered any detail on how bookings already made outside the refund window will be handled.

The bigger unknown is what happens to prices. With Jet2 now the only airline flying direct between Leeds Bradford and Málaga, Palma de Mallorca and Barcelona, Yorkshire travellers keep their routes but lose a second carrier to compare fares against. Whether that pushes prices up, thins out seat availability during peak weeks, or makes little difference at all is something only the months before January 5 will show.