TUI announces new routes to tropical paradise for 2026 but there's a catch

TUI, the leading global travel and leisure company, will be launching a new direct flight service between the UK and the Caribbean in 2026. Starting next June, TUI Airways will offer a direct flight route from Belfast International Airport to Punta Cana International Airport in the Dominican Republic.

The new service will be the only direct flight available from Belfast to the Dominican Republic, but there is one small catch: the flight route will only run for a limited time. The service will begin operating on June 20, 2026 and run every Saturday for four straight weeks. Utilising TUI’s Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft, outbound flights from Belfast are set to depart at 11.20am local time and land in Punta Cana at 2.40pm.

While only temporary, there is huge excitement surrounding the new flight announcement. Craig Morgan, head of Ireland for TUI, said of the new service: “We are delighted to offer our customers in Northern Ireland the opportunity to experience the Dominican Republic with our new direct flights from Belfast next summer. This is the only direct flight available from Belfast to the Dominican Republic and it will open up an exciting range of hotels and unique holiday experiences for Northern Ireland’s holidaymakers to enjoy in the breathtaking Dominican Republic.”

Even the CEO of Belfast International Airport expressed optimism about the expansion of choice for UK travellers, saying: "This route is a welcome addition to the TUI network and part of our commitment to develop direct routes for travellers direct from their local airport.”

The Caribbean flight news arrives on the heels of TUI announcing an additional 300,000 seats for its Summer 2025 programme, bringing the total to 10.2 million flight seats now on sale from airports across the UK. While the new offerings are exciting for UK travellers, the travel service has also recently revealed it will scrap some of its popular long-haul routes later this year.

As of this spring, TUI Airways will stop operation of its direct flights from London Gatwick to Costa Rica and Saint Lucia. Additionally, the travel service will end its direct service from Birmingham to the Orlando airport in Florida. A TUI spokesperson also told GB News that holidays to St Lucia and Costa Rica will still operate through third-party airliners, rather than with TUI Airways. TUI first launched flights to St Lucia from both London Gatwick and Manchester airports back in 2020.

Last year, TUI also scrapped flights from Manchester to Cuba. The new route was announced at the end of April 2024 and was planned to operate from May 10, 2024. However, it was scrapped before even launching.