Known for its seven-kilometer stretch of coastline known as Promenade des Anglais and the retro glamour of centuries of famous visitors, the French city of Nice has been riding a wave of popularity far beyond its traditional beach-going summer period.
The record 15.23 million passengers that Nice Côte d’Azur Airport (NCE) reported for 2025 are a significant bump from the previous year. The number is driven in large part by a number of international flights that have recently been launched into the city by different airlines.
This week, all-business-class airline La Compagnie announced that a seasonal route between Nice and Newark Liberty (EWR) that was initially scheduled to run until October has been extended into a year-round service.
‘The French Riviera has long been an important destination:’ La Compagnie on Newark-Nice flight extension
La Compagnie was founded by French businessman and pilot Frantz Yvelin out of Orly Airport (ORY) in Paris in 2013. The airline operates a fleet of three Airbus A321LR long-range passenger jets with 76 lie-flat seats each on flights between Newark and Paris, Nice, and Milan (the airline is also preparing to launch a flight to Germany’s Düsseldorf in 2027).
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“The French Riviera has long been an important destination for La Compagnie, and bringing our New York–Nice service into the winter season represents a significant step in our commitment to the US market,” La Compagnie President and CEO Christian Vernet said of the expanded route.
“We want to make the Riviera accessible to American travelers throughout the year, offering more opportunities to discover the region beyond its traditional summer appeal,” he said.
American Airlines also recently confirmed a seasonal flight to Nice from JFK that it will launch in May 2027. International carriers such as British Airways, Lufthansa, and EasyJet have all also announced both new routes and upped frequencies for the coming year.
Menton Limon Festival
What is helping drive increased tourism to Nice in 2027
While the increased airline interest is helping independently drive tourism growth with better connectivity, the heightened demand is also coming from travelers looking to experience Nice in off-peak periods as well as a number of key events taking place in the city that is often called the Capital of the French Riviera.
The annual Rallye Monte-Carlo, a prestigious racing event organized annually by the Monaco Automobile Club since 1911, runs from Jan. 21 to 24. Given the limited number of non-luxury accommodations in Monaco proper, nearby Nice traditionally catches tourists who come to events in the city-state associated with casinos, the Grimaldi family, and extreme luxury in all forms.
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The famous Nice Carnival runs throughout February as Catholics prepare to begin Lent. The Menton Lemon Festival, famous for floats and elaborate displays of the citrus fruit native to the city, begins on Feb. 13 and is omnipresent in the city until the end of the month.
With the smaller resort city of Cannes just a 40-minute drive away, February also brings the Canneseries television festival between Feb. 12 and 17 and the World AI Cannes Festival on artificial intelligence at the start of the month.
While most North American travelers interested in experiencing both Nice and the region during the winter season previously went through a larger hub like Paris or Rome, the airlines specifically cited growing traveler interest in various events during the rest of the year as the reason for increasing flight frequencies.
