Eastern Airways Sets Sights on Southampton Restart

UK regional airline, Eastern Airways will resume its growing network of routes from Southampton Airport from June 22. The Humberside-based carrier is expected to relaunch an initial daily weekday service to Belfast/City, Manchester, Newcastle and Aberdeen followed by a further increase in destinations at later dates.

Roger Hage, Eastern Airways’ general manager 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 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.”

Eastern Airways
The regional carrier will begin by operating weekday-only services from the Hampshire gateway. Eastern Airways

Leeds/Bradford and Teesside are expected to be added from June 29 and Dublin in late July. The airline said frequencies of services will be adjusted to meet demand throughout July, August and September.

Neil Garwood, managing director at Southampton Airport, added: “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, the airline’s usual onboard service will be limited to facilitate reduced customer contact. A full anti-bacterial wipe down of all touch points between each service operated and a comprehensive night-stop sanitisation will be implemented.

The independent operator, which was founded in 1997, provides a network of routes from more than 15 airports across the UK.