Three UK airports set to welcome Lufthansa leisure carrier Discover Airlines

Discover Airlines is set to start serving three UK regional hubs, including Bristol, Glasgow and Inverness, in 2027.

The Lufthansa Group’s leisure carrier, Discover Airlines, which began operations in July 2021 and was previously named Eurowings Discover, currently operates from Frankfurt and Munich airports in Germany.

The leisure carrier already operates an expansive global route network to popular holiday destinations across Europe – the Mediterranean in particular, Africa, the US and the Caribbean and the Nordics.

Discover Airlines sets sights on expansion in the UK

The airline is now expanding its European footprint with flights to Bristol, Glasgow and Inverness expected to come online next summer.

From May 2027, flights will be operated from Bristol to Frankfurt twice a week, on Mondays and Thursdays. Flights between Frankfurt and Glasgow will be served six times a week, with a twice-weekly summer connection to Munich from the Scottish hub.

Discover Airlines CCO Marco Göttz said: “With Bristol, we’re adding our first destination in England to our portfolio.”

The airline began serving Shannon in Ireland in April 2026.

Göttz also revealed the airline is seeing growing demand for destinations that combine culture, nature and outdoor experiences.

“We see a clear trend toward nature, outdoor activities, and trips that combine culture and scenery—our three new destinations fit this trend perfectly,” he said.

Discover’s Bristol link is the only non-stop connection between Bristol and Frankfurt, linking the southwest of England with Germany during summer 2027.

A first for Scotland

Glasgow will be the first Scottish destination on the airline’s network, with Gotz noting that Scotland “delivers space, nature and opportunities to explore the outdoors in abundance.”

Meanwhile, the new route to Inverness will initially operate once a week on Saturdays from 19 June to 11 September 2027, opening up connectivity between the Scottish Highlands and Frankfurt. It will also offer extensive onward travel through Lufthansa’s Frankfurt hub, which provides connections to 150 destinations.

The new links from Frankfurt to Glasgow, Bristol and Inverness and from Munich to Glasgow are expected to be served by A320s with a flight time of roughly two hours. The flights will bring Discover’s weekly UK service up to 11 flights.

Why the addition of three UK regional hubs matters for Discover’s network growth

Adding Bristol, Glasgow, Inverness and Shannon fills a genuine network gap for the leisure carrier. Despite being one of Europe’s largest outbound travel markets, the UK hadn’t been served by Discover Airlines since it began operating in 2021.

It is also the only airline offering direct links to Glasgow, Bristol and Inverness from Frankfurt, giving the airline a first-mover advantage rather than forcing it to battle for market share on an existing route.

The routes will also help feed connecting traffic through Frankfurt and Munich onto the rest of the Lufthansa Group’s global network. Additionally, the Munich-Glasgow route is not a new route for the Group; it is taking over a route previously flown by Lufthansa itself.

The strategic handover suggests the German flag carrier is using Discover as a more cost-efficient operator for short- and medium-haul, primarily leisure routes that don’t require a full-service mainline aircraft.

Where else can you “Discover” on Lufthansa’s leisure carrier network?

The airline has been on an aggressive growth strategy this year, expanding its destination network at pace. In February, the airline announced direct flights from Frankfurt to Bodø in northern Norway for the first time. The flights began operating in May.

In March, Shannon in Ireland, Brindisi in Italy and Larnaca in Cyprus were all added to the airline’s summer 2026 schedule. Discover also confirmed it will be expanding its range of destinations to include two new locations in Morocco this winter.

Frankfurt will connect with the coastal city of Agadir, while a new link from Munich to Fez will be the only direct connection between the two cities. Capacity will also increase from Frankfurt to the Maldives, the Seychelles and Mauritius this winter, with Punta Cana also served more frequently from Munich.

Meanwhile, from April 2027, Discover Airlines will further expand its service to Namibia, operating year-round flights from Munich to Windhoek – adding two additional frequencies per week. The route is being operated with Airbus A330-300 aircraft, which will all gradually be equipped with the new ‘Ocean Blue’ cabin starting in 2027.

Earlier this month, on 3 August, the leisure carrier announced it will add two seasonal destinations in Finland: Savonlinna in summer and Kajaani in winter.

Discover’s fleet expansion

The airline is expanding its fleet. Currently operating a fleet of around 30 Airbus A320s on its short- and medium-haul routes and A330-300s and A330-200s on its long-haul routes, the airline expects to take delivery of the first of four Airbus A350-900s in mid-2027.