High demand for relaunch of Ryanair’s London - France route
Many UK residents own second homes in region
The new route will serve second-home owners and tourists to the area
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A new direct flight between the UK and central France is off to a good start, with airport staff reporting high demand for seats.
The direct service between London Stanstead and Clermont-Ferrand was relaunched by Ryanair for the summer season, with the first flight taking off yesterday (April 2).
Two flights per week – on Wednesdays and Sundays – will connect the cities, with tickets starting at £14.99 one-way.
“We have a high demand for passengers on the route,” said director of Clermont-Ferrand airport Jean-Léopold Vié to Le Parisien.
“13 million overnight stays have been recorded [in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region] by UK residents… and 26% of second homes owned by foreigners in this area are British,” he added, further enforcing the necessity for the bi-weekly service.
“These are just some of the indicators that have demonstrated the attractiveness of this destination to airlines.”
A route previously ran between the two cities from 2017 to 2019, but was axed.
This line, as well as a new direct service to Algeria, is expected to see higher passenger numbers for the airport, beating out the 230,000 recorded in 2024.
Ryanair shuffles French flights
Ryanair reportedly wants 90% of seats filled during the season to keep the route for the following years.
The airline recently announced that it would cut around 5% of its services to France due to a mix of low demand and new airline taxes on flights imposed in the 2025 budget.
Whilst the airline’s CEO announced the company would not pull out of regional airports in the country – as it previously threatened to do when taxes were announced – this drop in service may still hit smaller airports hard.
Several of them rely on flights from budget airlines including Ryanair, which make up the bulk of passenger numbers and drive tourism in the area.
Read more: Which French regional airports are faring well - and which are not
UK travel authorisation now in force
The relaunch of the route also coincided with the beginning of the UK’s Electronic Authorisation (ETA) for EU citizens.
Those who are not British/Irish citizens or do not have the right to live in the UK must obtain an ETA prior to travelling.
Currently, it costs £12 and lasts for two years, but on April 9 costs will rise to £19.
Read more about the ETA, and the questions readers have asked us, in our article below.
Read more: Binationals, French children of Britons: Your questions about April 2 ETA change to visit UK
