Exeter airport is set to welcome back holiday makers for the summer season after a tumultuous year.
Its annual destination guide, FLY launched this week and features 27 destinations in seven countries.
Stephen Wiltshire, Operations Director and Accountable Manager at Exeter Airport, said: "It has been an extremely difficult year but we have to be able to look forward to the lifting of restrictions and welcoming back our international passengers.
The lockdown roadmap sets out the return of international travel from May 17 as long as transmission rates allow.
Returning for 2021 are routes to four Greek Islands - Corfu, Crete, Rhodes and Zante, as well as Paphos in Cyprus and six Spanish destinations including mainland Spain, the Balearics and Canary Islands.
Passengers can also fly Dalaman in Turkey from May 2021 and nine 海角视频 destinations including Scotland and the Channel Islands.
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The launch follows a surge of interest and bookings for 2021 and 2022 holidays, fuelled by the Government’s announced roadmap and vaccine roll-out.
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Mr Wiltshire said: "We are optimistic of pent-up demand. Airline operators tell us their forward bookings are good . There is still some caution from customers about being able to fly but the airlines have been very flexible to help people plan for this year and next."
"I think that regional airports are more attractive to passengers who want to feel secure in a smaller airport closer to home rather than having to travel to a larger, busier airport."
Return for winter 2021 are day trips and short breaks to Lapland and the Northern Lights, with a handful of year-round destinations offering the opportunity for winter sun.
Looking ahead to 2022, passengers can hit the slopes direct from Exeter Airport to Chambery, France, as well as Ibiza and Tenerife.
Mr Wiltshire welcomed the consultation currently taking place on air passenger duty for domestic routes.
"Anything that reduces the price of travel for passengers has got to be welcomed," he said.
Exeter Airport was hit just before the first lockdown in England with the collapse of airline Flybe. The airline, which supported 80% of flights at the airport, went into administration on March 5 with the loss of 931 jobs.
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The airline has since been , but there has been no indication that it will return to Exeter.
The airport has secured the restart of a number of former Flybe routes by other operators and Dublin Aerospace has restarted at Flybe’s former facilities at the airport.
But passenger numbers have been hit hard. The coronavirus crisis saw passenger numbers down by 94% during August 2020 when lockdown restrictions eased during the summer.
Passenger numbers at the Airport in May 2019 were 97,000 and in May 2020 the equivalent figure was just nine. From the beginning of the financial year to the end of the July passenger numbers dropped by 99.5% compared to the same period last year.
In October, East Devon District Council approved a £1million bailout to stave off potential closure of the airport.
The to support the ailing airport include a further deferral of £180,000 of business rates relief, forward-funding the airport’s £750,000 share of the Long Lane road enhancement scheme and to endorse the concept of a sustainable aviation cluster centred on Exeter Airport.
The airport's managing director Matt Roach .
Mr Wiltshire said that the airport has been a 'very different space' without its usual operations but had been grateful for the furlough scheme to keep staff employed.
'It means we can be ready to welcome those first international passengers back and we're looking forward to it."
Will you be planning a trip abroad this year? Let us know what you think of the return of international travel in the comments section below