Business travellers in the East of England have a new direct link to the French capital after easyJet began flying between London Stansted and Paris Charles de Gaulle this week.
The service is the carrier’s seventh route from the Essex airport and plugs a long-standing gap in its network. While London to Paris is among Europe’s busiest air corridors, Stansted has historically offered few direct options to the French capital, leaving firms in Essex, Cambridge, Hertfordshire and the surrounding region to trek across London to Heathrow, Gatwick or St Pancras.
Flights operate twice weekly, on Thursdays and Sundays through March before moving to Mondays and Fridays for the summer season, a pattern suited to out-and-back corporate trips or long-weekend extensions. Fares start from £36.99.
Kevin Doyle, easyJet’s UK Country Manager, said the route is already proving popular with corporate and leisure passengers alike, pointing to the airline’s focus on offering “even more choice and connectivity at fantastic fares.”
Why it matters for SME travel budgets
For travel managers watching costs, the new service offers a cheaper entry point to Paris than many existing options and removes the time and expense of crossing London for companies based north and east of the capital. The launch, confirmed via London Stansted’s media centre, forms part of a wider expansion that has seen easyJet add 16 new UK routes for summer 2026.
Ciaran Brannigan, Commercial Director at London Stansted Airport, called Paris “a fantastic addition” to the airport’s growing European network and predicted strong demand from business and leisure travellers.
The route lands amid intense competition on the cross-Channel corridor, where Eurostar is forecasting major growth and rail remains the default for many central London firms. For businesses closer to Stansted, however, a direct flight may now be the quicker door-to-door option.
Meetings, events and onward connections
Paris remains one of Europe’s most important destinations for meetings, incentives and corporate events, and Charles de Gaulle is a major hub for onward travel. The new service gives UK companies more flexibility for day trips and short-notice meetings, connections to Air France and SkyTeam long-haul services, access to business districts including La Défense and Saint-Denis, and travel to major events at Paris Expo Porte de Versailles and Villepinte.
The launch continues a busy period of network growth for the airline, which recently announced 13 new winter routes across Europe and North Africa alongside three new UK routes for summer 2026.
Packages target bleisure demand
Alongside the flights, easyJet holidays has introduced new Paris packages combining flights and accommodation, aimed at the growing number of travellers extending work trips into leisure stays. For SMEs whose staff increasingly blend business with personal travel, the bundled option adds another way to keep costs predictable.
