New Route of the Day (9 September 2026): Volotea between Porto and Brive-la-Gaillarde
Volotea commenced flights between Porto and Brive-la-Gaillarde, in southwest France, on Wednesday 9 September. The 930-kilometre route will be maintained 2-weekly, on Wednesdays and Sundays, using its A320-family fleet. The LCC does not face any competition on the route.
What they said
Gilles Gosselin, Volotea’s Country Manager for France, said: “We are delighted to launch the Brive-la-Gaillarde – Porto route, marking Volotea’s arrival at Brive Vallee de la Dordogne Airport. With this new service, we now operate from five airports in Nouvelle-Aquitaine, reinforcing our commitment to the region. This new route demonstrates our dedication to developing connections tailored to the mobility needs of local residents and bringing communities closer together. Nouvelle-Aquitaine, and France more broadly, has a significant Portuguese-speaking community. In addition to boosting tourism in both directions, this route will facilitate visits with friends and family, while offering direct and affordable flights between France and Portugal.”
Julien Bounie, President of Brive Valee de la Dordogne Airport, added: “I am particularly proud of the reopening of the Brive – Porto route with Volotea. This resumption illustrates the positive momentum of our airport and the confidence that airlines place in us. It meets a strong demand from our region and its residents. Welcoming Volotea to our airport is an important step in our strategy to develop and diversify our air travel offerings.”
Volotea takes over route from Ryanair
Volotea takes over the service from Ryanair, which discontinued Brive – Porto flights at the end of October 2025 as part of a wider reduction in its operations at French regional airports.
Ryanair’s withdrawal followed an increase in France’s solidarity tax on airline tickets, with the carrier suspending its Brive operations from 26 October 2025. The route had previously been maintained year-round and was considered particularly important for the sizeable Portuguese community in the region, as well as for tourism links between Correze and northern Portugal.
Volotea’s arrival at Brive comes almost two years after the airline sought to operate the airport’s subsidised Brive – Paris ORY service. However, Chalair was ultimately selected for the Public Service Obligation contract in October 2024.
Volotea now serves 26 French airports
With this new connection, Volotea adds another airport to its French network, bringing the number of French airports from which the airline operates to 26.
With nearly 11,000 seats available, this route is Volotea’s first operation in Brive-la-Gaillarde.
