Bristol Airport users will be able to fly to the Caribbean later this year with the launch of a new route via Europe.

Dutch airline KLM will operate flights to the island of Barbados from October 2025 to March 2026.

The carrier, which already flies from Bristol to Amsterdam Schiphol, said West Country passengers would be able to benefit from "convenient onward connections" to Bridgetown, Barbados.

The new service to Barbados will operate three weekly flights from Amsterdam on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays from October 26, 2025 to March 26, 2026.

Dave Lees, chief executive of Bristol Airport said: 鈥淲e are delighted that KLM鈥檚 network continues to grow, providing our customers even greater choice and convenience.

"This new connection means our customers can now access the beautiful Caribbean island of Barbados with just an easy connective flight in Amsterdam, making travel more accessible and convenient than ever before.鈥

Bristol Airport is England鈥檚 third-largest regional airport, acting as the international gateway for the South West of England and South Wales.

The transport hub had more than 10 million passengers passing through the terminal over the past 12 months and links to over 117 destinations, across 34 countries, more than all the other airports in the region combined.

The airport is currently going through a 拢400m upgrade, including the construction of a 拢60m public transport interchange and car park, which will be one of the region鈥檚 largest coach-bus interchanges when complete in summer 2025.

In March, Bath and North East Somerset Council vowed to oppose the proposed expansion of Bristol Airport. The transport hub, which lies close to the border with North Somerset, is seeking to increase its capacity to serve 15 million passengers every year.

The intention to scale operations comes just 18 months after the airport was granted permission by the High Court to expand to accommodate 12 million passengers each year, a decision that had already faced opposition from local authorities.

Like this story? Why not sign up to get the latest South West business news straight to your inbox.