Little more than a decade ago, British Airways flew a wide-body Boeing 777 five-and-a-half hours to Sharm el Sheikh. And, thanks to a union agreement, the crews were able to enjoy a few days in the sun before coming home.

There’s no such luck for today’s BA, easyJet or Tui crews; an hour later, it’s back to the UK, meaning they’re putting in a shift of around 12 hours when flying to destinations like Egypt, Cape Verde and Gambia.

BA no longer flies long-haul aircraft to Sharm; the likes of easyJet have ended such extravagance. The growing mid-haul travel trend is, instead, being driven by new-generation single-aisle jets, with the fuel efficiency to bring destinations previously deemed exotic into the mainstream.

We saw this when easyJet, albeit briefly, spread its wings to Jordan’s Aqaba. Now, from March 2025, it will offer Cape Verde, formerly a Tui stronghold. Tui, meanwhile, introduced West Africa’s Senegal in 2022, a five-and-a-quarter-hour stretch from Gatwick.

This was made possible by the fuel-efficient Boeing 737 Max, which can cover 4,000 miles and fly comfortably for more than six hours with a fuel reserve. Similarly, easyJet’s flight to Cape Verde is feasible due to the new-generation engines powering its Airbus fleet.

Bringing destinations like Senegal into the mainstream is partly down to operators looking for alternatives to the Canaries and Cyprus, and partly because – unlike 10 years ago – more leisure carriers have fleets that can reach Senegal’s capital Dakar as easily as Dubrovnik if they choose.

Tui has pledged to invest heavily in Africa, with own-brand hotels already dotting Senegal’s coastline near a new airport. Tui Group chief executive Sebastian Ebel said in December the Canaries were “full” in the winter, highlighting the need for alternatives.

Tui clients, he said, are switching to places like Egypt. “There’s a shift, especially in the family segment, to cheaper destinations,” he added.

Investment signals longer-term intention. New Tui hotels are planned in Senegal and Gambia, while Cape Verde “will be further expanded” beyond the two islands of Sal and Boa Vista.

Perhaps with a glance at Tui’s success in destinations like Cape Verde, Jet2.com and Jet2holidays, whose current network extends only as far as Cyprus, is weighing up the possibilities – particularly in Egypt.

“Our aircraft can get there,” said chief executive Steve Heapy recently, adding it was “on a list with other destinations we’re looking seriously at”.

Muscling in

As so often happens, destination specialists have had to watch as the big boys muscle in on their territory. Serenity Holidays can call itself a mid-haul pioneer, having launched its Gambia Experience brand in 1987.

Karen Durham, Gambia and Cape Verde product manager, believes mid-haul “is reshaping the market and will become mainstream”. “Advancements in aircraft technology, particularly engine efficiency, are pivotal and will open up the market to scheduled flights and bring operational costs down,” she says.

Durham flags two drawbacks. “The cost of Air Passenger Duty is significantly higher for mid-haul – £88 – whereas the Canaries are an anomaly and fall into the European bracket of £13,” she said, adding: “The new sustainable aviation fuel mandate introduced by the UK government will impact longer flights more heavily.”

Nevertheless, there is undoubtedly more mid-haul to come. Jet2 and easyJet have placed orders for the new engine option (neo) version of the Airbus A321, which can carry 220 passengers 4,600 miles, well into Africa, the Middle East and even transatlantic range, although the latter can be ruled out for both brands for now.

Moreover, consumers appear ready for it. More than 80% of respondents to a recent easyJet holidays poll said they would swap a European destination for one further afield, such as Egypt.

New aircraft are arriving and talks with willing governments are under way; the next decade may well see countries like the Ivory Coast, Ghana and currently unknown parts of the Middle East become as mainstream as Girona or Madeira.

Gary Noakes is TTG’s senior contributor and analyst.