UK regional airline, Eastern Airways, will resume its growing network of routes from Southampton Airport, including Aberdeen, Belfast City, Dublin, Manchester, Newcastle, Leeds Bradford and Teesside from 22nd June.
From Monday 22nd June, an initial daily weekday service to Belfast City, Manchester, Newcastle and Aberdeen will be the first to be introduced, with Leeds Bradford and Teesside following on Monday 29th June and Dublin on Thursday 23rd July. Frequency of services will be increased as appropriate through July, August and September to help restore the business and leisure connections to help the South of England economic recovery.
Following the demise of Flybe, Eastern Airways quickly stepped in to protect regional connectivity from Southampton on an expanding network prior to the Covid-19 travel restrictions. As restrictions begin to ease, services will be carefully re-introduced with extensive cleaning measures on-board and throughout all aspects of the airport. The safety of all customers in addition to all staff will be paramount throughout the journey including airports and on-board the aircraft.
Roger Hage, Eastern Airways’ General Manager Commercial & Operations, said: “We are pleased to announce that our Southampton flights are returning from 22nd June with a carefully considered initial frequency to support the major regions of the UK and ensure regional connectivity returns given its vital role in recovering economic prosperity. We will continue to increase frequency including the return of weekend services as demand returns along with adding new routes to our network. All services will ensure the safest procedures for our customer care are offered in conjunction with our airport partners.”
Neil Garwood, Managing Director at Southampton Airport, said: “As we restore airport operations, we are absolutely delighted to welcome back Eastern Airways, providing vital connectivity across the UK, and enabling the recovery of regional economies.”
Initially, Eastern Airways’ usual complimentary on-board service will be limited to facilitate reduced customer contact. A full anti-bacterial wipe down of all touch points between every service operated and a comprehensive night-stop sanitisation will be implemented. All fares will include 15kg of complimentary hold baggage as part of a quality service.
The independent operator, which was formed in 1997, had moved quickly prior to the Covid-19 pandemic to return back to its own standalone booking facilities after its former franchise partner, Flybe, went into administration earlier in March.
The Humberside Airport based carrier provides a network of routes from airports including Aberdeen, Alicante, Anglesey, Belfast City, Cardiff, Dublin, Humberside, Isle of Man, Leeds Bradford, London City, Manchester, Newcastle, Southampton, Teesside International and Wick John O’Groats.
