MSC Cruises has announced it will increase the number of summer 2025 Fly & Cruise packages in the Mediterranean by 30 per cent, with British cruise-goers now able to fly out from a host of UK airports next year

The ocean cruise line has solidified its partnership with budget airlines Jet2 and Vueling to offer guests flights to Rome, Barcelona and Palma.

Guest looking to cruise in the Mediterranean can choose to fly from Manchester to Rome or Barcelona, Glasgow to Rome, Edinburgh to Naples and Rome, Belfast to Palma and Bristol to Palma.

MSC Cruises’ 2025 Mediterranean itineraries will visit a wide range of ports, including Santorini, Cannes, Genoa, Valletta, Messina and Naples, with seven-night sailings on MSC World Europa, one of the line’s newest ships.

This follows the news in the spring that MSC Cruises had renewed its partnership with Emirates for another two seasons to help cement Dubai’s position as an upcoming cruise hub. 

MSC to offer “more airline seats from more airports”

Antonio Paradiso, vice president of international sales for MSC Group’s Cruise Division and managing director for the UK & Ireland, said: “I am really proud of our summer 2025 Fly & Cruise programme as we are offering increased flight seats from more airports than ever before.

“This is an area we are continuing to grow and invest in through the strong relationships we have built with our airline partners.

“Our customers love that they have the choice of joining a cruise directly from the UK in Southampton or booking one of our Fly & Cruise holidays which offer a huge range of holiday destinations.”

Cruise Trade News recently reported that MSC Cruises had seen a 160 per cent increase in the number of onboard bookings made by UK and Irish travellers in May 2024, which the line said was driven by its Future Cruise Programme.