Eastern Airways will return to Southampton Airport later this month, as it resumes its growing network of routes following the loss of franchise partner Flybe.
Now a fully independent airline once more, the Humberside-headquartered regional operator will link the central south coast city with Aberdeen, Belfast, Dublin, Manchester, Newcastle, Leeds and Teesside from June 22.
Charters are also being lined up to help top-flight football get back up and running.
Initial daily weekday services to Belfast, Manchester, Newcastle and Aberdeen will be the first to be introduced, with Leeds and Teesside added in the following week, and Dublin on July 23.
The number of services will be increased as appropriate through the summer to help restore the business and leisure connections to help the South of England economic recovery.
Roger Hage, Eastern Airways’ general manager for commercial and operations, said: “We are pleased to announce that our Southampton flights are returning from June 22 with a carefully considered initial frequency to support the major regions of the Ƶ 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.”
Following the demise of Flybe, the Kirmington team quickly stepped in to protect regional connectivity from Southampton on an expanding network prior to the Covid-19 travel restrictions. Some services began, while others had been due to in late March and April, prior to lockdown being enforced.
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 Ƶ, and enabling the recovery of regional economies.”
Newcastle-Aberdeen, Teesside-Aberdeen and Teesside Belfast will also return alongside the continued 'original' Humberside-Aberdeen service.
As restrictions begin to ease, extensive cleaning measures have been brought on-board and throughout all aspects of the airport, with temperature checks on the ground. Mr Hage said the safety of all customers in addition to all staff will be paramount throughout the journey.
Initially Eastern Airways’ 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.
There will be no passenger number restrictions on the small planes, with all asked to wear face masks, with air conditioning set to point straight down.
On the football front, Mr Hage said Eastern is preparing for "quite a tranche of flights to achieve that which we have been asked to provide," with teams keen to travel to matches on the same day, eliminating overnight stays and minimising contact.
