15 amazing places UK airlines should wake up and launch flights to
Two years ago I highlighted a selection of fascinating destinations with one thing in common – British travellers could not fly to them non-stop. They included effervescent New Orleans, historic Tbilisi, hipster Portland, Perth, the gateway to Western Australia, and Xian, home of the Terracotta Army.
“Airlines: please consider [these] places next time you’re planning an expansion,” I urged.
They must have been listening. Six months later, in March 2017, British Airways touched down in the Big Easy, reestablishing a direct link for the first time in 30 years.
In May 2017, Delta unveiled a new daily flight from Heathrow to Portland.
Georgian Airlines debuted its Gatwick-Tbilisi link during the same month.
In March 2018, Qantas made history with the first single-hop service from the UK to Australia (Perth, to be precise).
And on May 7 Tianjin Airlines began direct flights from Britain to Xian.
Buoyed by our success (it was all down to us, you see), we’re trying to repeat the trick. Here are 15 fantastic destinations that are still frustratingly tricky to reach. Airlines, are you paying attention?
1. Berne
Now that we have direct flights from London to Tbilisi, there are just nine European capitals that British travellers cannot fly to without stopping. There’s nothing to be done about Nicosia (Cyprus), Monaco, San Marino, Andorra la Vella, Vaduz (Liechtenstein) and the Vatican City - because none of them possess an airport. But what about Berne? Visitors to the Swiss capital must currently fly via Basel, or take the train from Zurich. Not a huge burden but enough to put off some. Which would be a shame, says Nigel Richardson. He writes: “The city’s perennial attractions are its state of preservation (essentially it’s a medieval town overlaid with a baroque veneer), which has earned it Unesco World Heritage status; its manageable size (you can walk the Old Town end to end in 20 minutes); and a laid-back, friendly ambience."
2. Sarajevo
Another capital lacking a direct link with the UK is Sarajevo. The capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina has a tragic modern history - but it’s ready for tourists, says Adrian Bridge. “With its extraordinary cultural and religious mix and rich Ottoman heritage, Sarajevo is a city that merits a visit,” he says. “Surrounded by green hills and bisected by a river, it is a place of spectacular beauty, and though the scars of the siege of the 1990s are still evident, Sarajevans display heartening resilience and vitality.”
Considering one can fly non-stop from the UK to the likes of Bydgoszcz (Poland), Craiova (Romania) and Kutaisi (Georgia), Sarajevo’s absence from route maps seems particularly odd.
3. Yerevan
There are no non-stop flights to Yerevan, the Armenian capital, either. One of the continent’s oldest cities, established in 782BC (30 years before Rome), it retains its antiquated charm (despite the best efforts of property developers). Frank Gardner, who visited in 2016, wrote: “Yerevan is a delightful capital. Its wide, leafy boulevards are lined with cafés and wine bars where Armenians like to sit chatting late into the night.”
Beyond Yerevan the country’s highlights include the monastery of Khor Virap, with its awe-inspiring views of the snow-capped peak of Mount Ararat, just across the border in Turkey; Garni, a sort of miniature Parthenon, built in the 1st century AD; and the monastery of Geghard, a Unesco World Heritage Site.
4. Dresden
One can fly to Dresden from Barcelona, Amsterdam and Athens, to name a few, but not Britain. Which is a pity.
“Dresden is a middle-European jewel, hidden from view during the 40-year lifespan of Communist East Germany,” writes Ivan Hewitt. “Before that it suffered an even bigger misfortune. In February 1945 the historic Old City was completely destroyed by Allied bombers. You still see the scars, here and there. But Dresden’s rise from the rubble is inspiring. The centre is a meticulous reconstruction of Dresden’s Baroque glories, but if you tire of the almost too-perfect Old City, there’s the genuine antique of the New City across the river Elbe, the elegance of the White Hart district, the castles along the river – and fine classical music performances.”
5. Trapani
“Western Sicily has the rugged beauty, history and culture you would expect from the island but with fewer tourists, less bustle and some great food,” says Natalie Paris. The UK got direct flights to Trapani, capital of the region, in 2008, but the link has since been severed. Ryanair flies to it from Prague, Karlsruhe and Bergamo – but not Britain.
6. Rimini
Overshadowed by Emilia-Romagna’s cultured cities, such as Bologna, Ravenna and Parma, Italy’s favourite Adriatic resort has ancient Roman relics, a Renaissance cathedral, and strong links with Federico Fellini – as well as everything sun-seekers and party people could possibly desire. But no British airline operates direct flights. Make it happen, easyJet!
7. Namibia
“Of all the countries of Sub-Saharan Africa, Namibia is arguably the most comprehensively tourist-friendly,” says Nigel Richardson. “Not only does it have exceptional wildlife – including a quarter of the world’s cheetahs and the last free-ranging population of black rhino – and a well-developed network of parks, reserves and safari lodges, but the landscapes of its coastline and deserts are some of the most photographed and gasped over in the world.”
Yet Britons must fly via Johannesburg (or Germany) to get there.
8. Senegal
Britons can fly direct from London to The Gambia, but not to neighbouring Senegal. “It gained independence in the 1960s, but there is a strong cultural hangover from the colonial era,” says Nigel Tisdall. “It still has its baguettes and battered Peugeots, and you’ll need to speak some French to get the best from a visit. Highlights, he adds, include the Siné-Saloum Delta: “Veined with rivers and covering 700 square miles, these labyrinthine wetlands are a World Heritage Site yet barely known.”
9. Mozambique
Another African city without a UK connection is Maputo, the capital of Mozambique, one of the continent’s most up-and-coming beach destinations. “This beautiful slice of south-eastern Africa exploded once it gained independence from Portugal – its brutal civil war (1977-1992) killed one million people, and displaced five million more,” explains Chris Leadbeater. “But the country’s tourism industry has boomed in the last decade, thanks chiefly to its 1,430 miles of coast on the Indian Ocean, and the beach resorts which have started to decorate it.” Reaching it is the only tricky part – you must fly via the likes of Johannesburg or Addis Ababa.
10. São Tomé and Principe
Perhaps we shouldn’t include this tiny archipelago in the Gulf of Guinea – direct flights from the UK might spoil what makes it special. They are the paradise islands that tourism forgot.
“When I first spotted it on a relief map of the Atlantic, it looked like two needles rising off the ocean floor, each with a tiny island perched on top,” says John Gimlette, who visited last year. “Closer up, they’re harder to ignore. From the air, they look improbably dramatic, like great blue fangs, covered in a rich velvet of forest and cloud. One of these peaks – on Príncipe – is so sheer that, until recently, it was thought it had only ever been climbed twice in 31 million years. It’s ridiculous to describe anywhere as a Lost World now, but this one got seriously mislaid.”
11. Mongolia
The world’s least crowded country? Three times bigger than France, Mongolia’s population is less than a 20th of the UK’s – and one in three people live in the nation’s sole city, the capital Ulaan Baatar. It adds up to a population density of 1.9 people per square kilometre. Only Greenland and the Falkland Islands can trump it.
“This land of green steppe, vast flat plains, intricately braided rivers, electric-blue highland lakes, snow-licked mountains, dense pine forests and shifting desert is presided over by a skyscape of such bold blue immensity it beggars description,” says Terry Richardson. So wouldn’t it be nice to fly there without changing planes?
12. Hawaii
Those 9,000-mile Qantas flights from London to Perth take 17 hours. Considerably closer, at 7,280 miles, but without a direct link, is Hawaii.
Of the eight main islands that make up the US state, Oahu is a fine option, with the state capital Honolulu shining on its south coast, the warm sands of Waikiki Beach providing an urban playground, the sombre history of Pearl Harbor, the majestic Diamond Head volcano, and the hiking trails that hit its top. Or try Kauai, the most northerly member of the group, whose Waimea Canyon resembles a mini Grand Canyon in sunnier climes.
13. Jeju Island
This one’s a bit of a long shot. Most British travellers haven’t heard of it, so it’s hardly likely to be on the radar of any UK airlines. But this South Korean isle forms one half of the world’s busiest flight route, so it’s obviously got something going for it. There were a staggering 64,991 departures between Seoul Gimpo (stop sniggering) to Jeju International last year – that works out at around 178 a day.
So what the devil is Jeju Island, and why are so many rushing to see it? Unesco-listed, and billed as South Korea’s answer to Hawaii, it’s pure Instagram gold, and home to dramatic volcanic landscapes, underground caves, hiking trails and scenic beaches. Halla Mountain, at 1,940m above sea level, is South Korea’s highest peak, while the cone of Seongsan Ilchulbong, or “Sunrise Peak”, is particularly spectacular.
There are casinos, which help lure travellers from China, and, thanks to the island’s self-governing status, anyone can visit without a visa. Bizarrely, there’s also a sex-themed park, Jeju Love Land, which features phallus statues, interactive exhibits on the “masterbation cycle”, and other sculptures of humans in flagrante.
With all that, what Briton wouldn’t want to fly there?
14. Most of South America (including Bolivia)
Norwegian’s low-cost service from Gatwick to Buenos Aires arrived earlier this year, but direct links to South America are surprisingly few and far between. There are only six: Buenos Aires, Rio, Sao Paulo, Bogota, Santiago and Lima. So nothing in Guyana, Suriname, Venezuela, Uruguay, Paraguay or the backpacker favourites of Bolivia and Ecuador.
15. Central America, too (what about Belize?)
BA flies to San Jose, capital of wildlife-rich Costa Rica, but still leaves six Central American countries unserved, including the diving haven (and former British colony) of Belize.
