Ryanair will launch its biggest-ever summer programme from LIverpool John Lennon Airport in 2026 with a sixth aircraft and three new routes supporting more than 2,000 jobs. Tony McDonough reports
Low cost airline Ryanair will launch three new routes from Liverpool John Lennon Airport (LJLA) in summer 2026 and add a sixth aircraft.
In what the carrier says will be its biggest-ever summer at LJLA, it will start new routes to Marrakesh in Morocco, the Albanian capital Tirana and Warsaw, the capital of Poland.
However, announcing the expansion in a city centre event along with the airport and Liverpool Chamber of Commerce, Ryanair’s chief commercial officer Jason McGuinness warned that air passenger duty (APD) was a threat to its continued APD growth.
“We call on the UK Government to scrap APD,” he told the audience at the event.
He added: “We are delighted to be in Liverpool today to celebrate more Ryanair investment and record growth for the North West, with the announcement of a sixth Ryanair aircraft at Liverpool for summer 2026.
“Ryanair will also add extra flights on existing popular sun and city break routes, like Alicante, Barcelona, Faro, Ibiza & Kraków, driving 2026 traffic above 2.4m passengers a year.”
This sixth aircraft will lead to 180 new direct jobs and will support an estimated 2,000-plus jobs in the city region.
LJLA chief executive John Irving added: “As our longest serving airline partner of nearly 40 years with around 40m of their passengers having chosen to travel via Liverpool in that time, firstly I’d like to thank Ryanair for their continued support and for this latest commitment.”
This latest news follows on from last week’s announcement that easyJet will have its ninth aircraft based at LJLA from summer 2026. The carrier now operates 39 Liverpool routes and Each Airbus A320 supports around 400 direct and indirect jobs.
And easyJet has launched another two routes from Liverpool – to Lisbon and Paphos – which adds to the eight launched in the last 12 months to Malta, Fuerteventura, Prague, Berlin, Marrakesh, City of Derry, Sharm el Sheikh and Split.
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Expansion by both carriers further boosts the airport which has broken multiple passenger records in 2025. More than 527,000 passengers passed through LJLA last month, making it the busiest October ever.
August 2025 was the busiest month in the 92-year history of the airport with more than 616,000 passengers handled during the peak summer period. This smashed the previous record of 576,000 set a month earlier in July.
Paul Cherpeau, chief executive of Liverpool Chamber, also said “Ryanair’s continued investment and expansion at Liverpool John Lennon Airport is a fantastic endorsement for the airport and the wider city region as a positive place to do business.”