Aberdeen at a glance
Aberdeen International Airport, at Dyce, is the main airport for the north east of Scotland. It's best known for oil and gas traffic, including helicopters to the North Sea, but its holiday and city break routes have been growing. A flight-tracking listing in October 2026 counted around 11 airlines and 50 destinations, including UK domestic flights.
The big story is the return of the low-cost airlines. Ryanair brought back summer flights to Spain, Portugal and Poland in 2026, and easyJet has announced new international routes for 2027.
Routes change often from Aberdeen, so check the airport's website and the airline's own timetable before planning a trip. We checked these routes in October 2026.
What's new
- Barcelona (easyJet): a new route from spring 2027, twice a week, which easyJet says is the only direct flight between the north east of Scotland and Barcelona. Listings disagree on the start date, so check easyJet's timetable.
- Palma de Mallorca (easyJet): twice a week from 3 May 2027.
- Belfast International (easyJet): twice a week from 4 January 2027, on Mondays and Fridays.
These join easyJet's existing Aberdeen routes to Geneva, Paris Charles de Gaulle, and London Luton and Gatwick.
Sun and beaches
For summer 2026, Ryanair returned with flights to:
- Alicante, four times a week.
- Faro, for the Algarve, three times a week.
- Málaga, for the Costa del Sol, three times a week.
These are summer routes, so don't count on them in winter. Check Ryanair's timetable for summer 2027.
TUI also sells package holidays from Aberdeen to a range of sunny destinations, often including Mallorca, the Canaries and Turkey. Its programme changes each year, so check what's on sale for your dates.
In winter, the choice of direct sun flights from Aberdeen is limited. Many people fly to Amsterdam, London or Paris and change there, or travel to Edinburgh or Glasgow for more direct winter-sun routes.
City breaks
Aberdeen has some good city break options:
- Amsterdam: one of the airport's busiest international routes, with KLM. It's also a handy place to change for flights all over the world.
- Paris: easyJet to Charles de Gaulle.
- Kraków: Ryanair's summer route, three times a week in 2026.
- Barcelona: new with easyJet from 2027.
- Geneva: easyJet, good for a lakeside city break or the Alps in winter.
- Bergen: Loganair has flown to Norway's fjord city in summer.
Most of these are about two hours or less. On twice-weekly routes, the timetable may decide whether your trip is three nights or four.
Connecting through a hub
Aberdeen has no direct long-haul flights, so for anywhere beyond Europe you'll need to change. The most common options are:
- Amsterdam with KLM, which connects to hundreds of destinations worldwide, often with a short transfer.
- London Heathrow with British Airways, for British Airways' long-haul network.
A connection through Amsterdam can be easier than travelling to a London airport by train or another flight, and booking it as one ticket means the airline will rebook you if the first flight is delayed. It's worth comparing both before you book a trip to the USA, Asia or the Caribbean.
Getting to the airport
Aberdeen Airport is at Dyce, about 7 miles north-west of the city centre. The Jet 727 bus links the airport with Aberdeen's bus and railway stations, and Dyce railway station is a short bus or taxi ride away for trains from further north.
If you're being dropped off, check the airport's current drop-off charges and car park options before you travel, as these change. Booking parking in advance is almost always cheaper than paying on the day.
The airport has a single terminal, so it's usually quick to get through. Two hours before a short-haul flight is a sensible default, with a little more during school holidays, but follow your airline's bag drop deadline.
How to pick a route
Start with the season. Aberdeen's sun routes are mainly in summer, so in winter, a connection or a trip from Edinburgh may give you more choice.
Then think about what you want from the trip. For a short city break, the direct routes to Amsterdam, Paris and Kraków are easy. For a week in the sun, Alicante, Faro, Málaga and Mallorca are the obvious picks. For mountains and lakes, Geneva works year round.
Finally, watch the days of the week. Many Aberdeen routes only fly two or three times a week, so be flexible with your dates.
Where could you go from Aberdeen?
Ideas from our guides that you can reach directly, depending on the season:
If you're stuck, read our guide to how to decide where to go on holiday, or add a few ideas to somewhere.party and let the draw decide.
