South is of particular interest, as often it’s hotter, which make these destinations of more interest for breaks during the colder months, or indeed the hotter ones.
Generally, some of these destinations form some of the longest routes – perhaps a flight of four hours may be required, which is certainly pushing it in terms of comfort. Nevertheless, if these destinations appear in the sales, they are of great value. If you want to bag a bargain bear in mind that frequencies of flights tail off outside peak season (some are virtually seasonal). During kids summer holidays, no deals may appear at all.
Here is a list of our top 10 by geographical location:
1) Tenerife South (TFS)
An island of Spain, but actually closer to Africa, the island of Tenerife is one of the largest Canary Islands and extremely popular with holidaymakers from all over Europe thanks to the climate.
Fly here from: Ryanair: Birmingham, Bournemouth, Bristol, Brussels South-Charleroi, Dublin, East Midlands, Edinburgh, Girona, Glasgow-Prestwick, Hahn, Liverpool, London-Luton, London-Stansted, Madrid, Porto, Shannon, Weeze
Easyjet: Bristol, London-Gatwick, Manchester
2) Lanzarote Airport (ACE)
IATA code doesn’t signify greatness but probably the isle of Arrecife. It’s close in proximity to Tenerife by less than 100 miles but many of the flights here are duplicated from departure cities. Attracts many similar tourists but also a great destination for fans of nature.
Fly from: Ryanair: Birmingham, Bournemouth, Bristol, Brussels South-Charleroi, Dublin, East Midlands, Edinburgh, Girona, Glasgow-Prestwick, Hahn, Liverpool, London-Luton, London-Stansted, Madrid, Shannon [ends 14 March], Weeze
Easyjet: Liverpool, London-Gatwick, Madrid
3) Agadir (AGA)
A virtual stone’s throw from Lanzarote, Agadir is in a different country (Morocco) but still enjoys miles and miles of stunning coastlines. Has been pushed in the last few years as a major tourist destination to rival that of Marrakesh, with the budgets arriving. With the expectation of a new terminal and further investment, further traffic may come.
Fly from: Ryanair: Brussels South-Charleroi, Liverpool, London-Stansted, Marseille, Weeze
Easyjet: London-Gatwick, Milan-Malpensa [begins 11 February], Paris-Charles de Gaulle [begins 9 February]
4) Marrakesh (RAK)
The inland buddy of Agadir, probably the original Moroccan destination to get to. Served by the charters for many years, the airport handles roughly double the numbers of that of Agadir and is one of the more popular destinations.
With a large Moroccan contingent in Europe, it’s no surprise that many destinations are covered.
Fly from: Ryanair: Alicante, Bristol, Brussels South-Charleroi, East Midlands, Girona, Hahn, London-Luton, Madrid, Marseille, Pisa, Reus, Seville, Weeze
Easyjet: London-Gatwick, Lyon, Madrid, Manchester, Milan-Malpensa, Paris-Charles de Gaulle
5) Fez (FEZ)
Correct spelling of the place is Fes but most people will associate with the Tommy Cooper hat. Surprisingly an overlooked destination in Morocco with just over 400,000 visitors in 2008. Only a handful of airlines on skinny frequencies here.
Fly from: Ryanair: Alicante, Brussels South-Charleroi, Girona, Hahn, Madrid, Marseille, Milan-Orio Al Serio, Seville, Weeze
Easyjet: N/A
6) Nador (NDR)
Probably the first destination here that isn’t considered a tourist one yet, and handled just over 200,000 passengers a year. It’s telling that Ryanair do not even fly here from anywhere in the UK but if you want to get here, it’s still well possible using split ticketing. Brussels and Amsterdam make up the bulk of the destinations here.
Fly from: Ryanair: Brussels South-Charleroi [begins 9 April], Madrid, Marseille, Reus
Easyjet: N/A
7) Malta (MLA)
Gets harder to differentiate now as the airports get packed closer together. But Malta is a popular destination and has been with the ex-pat community for years. A busy airport, it has good connections with the rest of Europe. with the UK making up the bulk of traffic.
Fly here from: Ryanair: Bari, Bournemouth [begins 30 March], Bristol, Dublin, Edinburgh, Girona, Leeds/Bradford [begins 25 March], London-Luton, Madrid, Pisa, Stockholm-Skavsta, Trapani, Venice-Treviso
Easyjet: Liverpool [begins 13 June], London-Gatwick, Manchester, Milan-Malpensa [begins 30 June], Newcastle upon Tyne, Rome-Fiumicino [begins 12 March]
Malaga (AGP)
And so we reach the mainlands of Spain, and sub 3-hour flights from the UK, and also an airport that has connections to the US. The airport is not only popular for Malaga but also the closeby Gibraltar. With expansion going on here, a train connection and a Ryanair base, things are looking good.
Fly from: Ryanair: Aarhus [begins 23 June], Berlin-Schönefeld [begins 25 June], Birmingham, Bologna [begins 29 March], Bournemouth, Bratislava [begins 23 June], Bremen, Bristol, Brussels South-Charleroi, Dublin, East Midlands, Edinburgh, Eindhoven [begins 22 June], Girona, Glasgow-Prestwick, Gothenburg-City [begins 25 June], Hahn, Krakow [begins 24 June], Leeds/Bradford [begins 25 March], Liverpool, London-Stansted, Maastricht [begins 22 June], Marseille, Memmingen [begins 24 June]), Milan Orio al Serio, Oslo-Rygge [begins 20 March], Oslo-Torp [begins 23 June], Paris-Beauvais [begins 23 June], Pisa [begins 24 June], Santander [begins 24 June], Santiago de Compostela [begins 23 June], Shannon, Stockholm-Skavsta [begins 24 June], Tampere [begins 25 June], Valladolid [begins 23 June], Venice-Treviso [begins 24 June], Weeze, Wroclaw [begins 25 June], Zaragoza [begins 24 June]
Easyjet: Basel/Mulhouse, Belfast-International, Berlin-Schönefeld, Bristol, Geneva, Glasgow-International, Liverpool, London-Gatwick, London-Luton, London-Stansted, Manchester, Milan-Malpensa, Newcastle upon Tyne, Paris-Charles de Gaulle [begins 14 May]
9) Jerez (XRY)
Growing in popularity owing to it’s position, making it convienient for a number of places along the coast. Still around only 10% the size of Malaga, which probably puts a limit on the top end. Popular training base for pilots and flight maintenance.
Fly from: Ryanair: Hahn, London-Stansted, Madrid
Easyjet: N/A
10) Almeria (LEI)
A close run thing between here and Faro, but Almeria comes out tops here. A modern facility which serves a much over-looked area on the southern coast. There are not many carriers here but certainly a place worth visiting if you can get a cheap ticket.
Fly from: Ryanair: Dublin [seasonal], London-Stansted [seasonal], Madrid, Weeze
Easyjet: London Gatwick
