Eastern Airways Southampton flights to resume

Regional airline, Eastern Airways is to resume its internal flights from Manchester Airport, beginning with a regular service to Southampton.

Manchester Airport to Southampton flights will be the first service to reopen after Covid-19 restrictions, with the first flight on Monday 22nd June. The daily weekday service will be increased as appropriate through July to September to restore economic connections between the North-West and South Coast hubs.

Eastern Airways stepped in to protect regional connectivity to Southampton following the collapse of Flybe prior to the pandemic. As movement restrictions are eased, flights across the UK will be reintroduced with expanded hygiene measures, both on-board aircraft and in UK airports.

Eastern Airways will initially have limited complimentary on-board service on it’s Manchester to Southampton route to reduce contact between staff and passengers. 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.

Roger Hage, Eastern Airways’ General Manager Commercial & Operations, said:

We are pleased to announce that our initial Manchester to Southampton flights are returning from 22^nd June with a carefully considered re-start 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.”

Julian Carr, Aviation Director at Manchester Airport, said:

It’s great to see Eastern Airways resume its service to Southampton from Manchester Airport, providing vital connectivity between the two regions and beyond. With a host of safety measures already in place, the security of all our passengers and staff continues to be our number one priority, as we connect people to places domestically and internationally.”

Humberside-based Eastern Airways, formed in 1997 was a franchise partner of Flybe before its collapse, and responded quickly to introduce a standalone booking service and protect routes.