New flights to Caribbean’s largest island from UK airport scrapped just weeks after TUI ditched route

A NEW route from the UK to the largest island in the Caribbean has been scrapped just weeks after it was first announced.

Passenger flights between Manchester Airport and Holguin will no longer go ahead.

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The new route was announced at the end of April, with flights set to operate from May 10, 2024, but it has instead been scrapped, according to Travel Gossip.

Another weekly service was also slated to operate between London Gatwick and Cayo Coco in Cuba – but that’s also been pushed back.

The London Gatwick services were meant to run from the beginning of May, but they’ve been pushed back to June.

Instead of flying from London Gatwick to Cayo Coco, the route is likely to fly into Holguin as a twice-weekly service instead.

Tour operator Iron Travel will commercially manage the route, while it will be operationally managed by TripLatam.

Iron Travel Commercial Manager William Ruano told Travel Gossip: “We agreed to push back the operation as it was too soon and we have decided to change the routes too.

“Now we are going for the historical one: London LGW to Holguin HOG – Havana HAV twice a week. All of this changing [will be] subject to confirmation this week.

“Once we have everything in place we will announcing to the trade. We hope to move it for the end of June or beginning of July.”

Sun Online Travel have contacted Iron Travel for comment.

The new route was announced after tour operator TUI revealed it would be scrapping its direct service from Manchester to Cuba by April 2024.

As it stand, holidaymakers from the UK have no direct service to Cuba.

Brits will instead have to connect onto another flight in mainland Europe or Canada.

If the new route between London Gatwick and Holguin does go ahead, Brits will be landing on the southeast side of the island.

Officially known as San Isidro de Holguin, the city is packed with squares, museums and colonial buildings.

There’s also Bahia de Naranjo Nature Park where holidaymakers will be able to swim with dolphins.

Meanwhile, Havana, the Cuban capital, is another one of the country’s must-visit destinations thanks to its diverse architecture and classic cars.

Top attractions in Havana include the Malecón, the city’s seafront promenade, and the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes, which houses the largest art collection in Cuba.

Elsewhere in Cuba there is Varadero Beach, named one of the best by TripAdvisor – here’s what Deputy Travel Editor Kara Godfrey thought when she went.

Brit holidaymakers travelling from the UK must have at least six months left on their passport to enter Cuba.

Tourists will also need to obtain a tourist card before travelling, and must show proof of onward travel.

Holidaymakers are also not allowed to travel directly from the USA to Cuba for tourism under US law.

Even though the service between Manchester and Cuba has been scrapped, there are plenty of other new routes popping up across the UK.

The latest new routes

Yesterday, British Airways announced that it would be launching two new flights from a small UK airport this summer.

The flights launched from Southampton Airport over the weekend, with Brits now being able to fly to Bergerac and Majorca.

This is in addition to Faro and Malaga, which already operated from Southampton with British Airways, as well as winter flights to Chambery.

Budget airline Norse Atlantic Airways is launching new transatlantic flights from London Gatwick to Las Vegas.

It is the first time the London airport will have flights to the US city.

The airline also confirmed new routes from London Gatwick to Cape Town this winter.

EasyJet has launched new flights from Glasgow Airport to Larnaca in Cyprus and Enfidha in Tunisia.

And new airline Lufthansa City Airlines, launched by German flag carrier Lufthansa, will have flights between Birmingham and Munich from June.