Tag: Eastern

Eastern Airways announces new service to Belfast International from Southampton

Eastern Airways has announced the launch of a new daily service between Southampton and Belfast International.

The new daily Southampton-Belfast flights will commence on Thursday February 9, in time for the half-term break. This compliments the multi daily Southampton to Manchester and Southampton to Dublin services at Eastern Airways’ south-coast base.

Roger Hage, Commercial Director, Eastern Airways, said: ‘This is a major step in growing connectivity to the North of Ireland from our Southampton base. The recent reduction in operator capacity and choice from Belfast airports and a growing network and ambition of Belfast International Airport offers an opportunity to meet the burgeoning demand for connecting the two nations, especially with such strong onward connectivity. This welcome addition to the domestic network at Southampton and Belfast International will aid those who travel for business, visit friends and family or seek a welcome city or leisure break.’

Matt Hazelwood, Chief Commercial Officer of AGS Airports Ltd, which owns Southampton Airport, said: ‘The introduction of this first-ever daily service to Belfast International Airport from Southampton is tremendous news.

‘Belfast is both a fantastic city-break destination and the ideal base to explore Northern Ireland, so I’m sure our passengers will be keen to take full advantage of Eastern Airways’ new route when it launches in February.

‘Equally, we look forward to welcoming those passengers from across the Irish Sea who are keen to visit Southampton and all the city and the wider region has to offer.’

Belfast International Airport’s Business Development Director Uel Hoey, said: ‘We are thrilled to welcome Eastern Airways as a new airline customer to Belfast International Airport (BIA), and are particularly pleased to be able to offer a strong south coast link to the majority of travellers in our locality who prefer to use Belfast International Airport as their conduit for both business and leisure travel.

The new Belfast service will be operating on a low-carbon emission 72-seat ATR aircraft. Tickets can be booked directly at www.easternairways.com for seat-only or via the travel partners for package options.

Eastern Airways introduces new route from Cornwall Airport Newquay to East Midlands

Cornwall Airport Newquay has announced an expansion to its route network with the confirmation that Eastern Airways will launch a new daily service between the Cornish gateway and East Midlands.

The move comes in response to demands from Midlands and Cornish travellers, with the new daily flights commencing on Friday February 10. The regional carrier will add over 1,000 weekly seats to the airport’s schedule next year.

Roger Hage, Commercial Director, Eastern Airways, said: ‘This is a major step in growing connectivity from and to the Cornwall base and is the only Midlands service from the Southwest of England.

‘By adding East Midlands Airport with the major cities of Nottingham, Derby, Leicester all within 30-minutes and Sheffield within an hour, this welcome addition to the domestic network at East Midlands will aid those who travel for business, visit friends and family or seek a welcome leisure break with the need for international travel. The major East Midlands hub also offers a wide-ranging level of connections and access to some of the country’s biggest sporting venues outside London.’

Sam O’Dwyer, Managing Director, Cornwall Airport Newquay commented: ‘As we continue to welcome a significant expansion of our route network here at Cornwall Airport Newquay, we are so pleased Eastern Airways has announced a new daily connection between the East Midlands and the Southwest. Our research and passenger feedback has shown there is much demand for a link into the Midlands region from Cornwall, combined with more capacity into London, and the doubling of flights into Humberside is fantastic news. Eastern Airways has been serving Cornwall since 2020 and these latest announcements provide a clear indication of its continued commitment to ensure our customers have more choice available to them when travelling within the UK throughout the year.’

Operating on a low-emission 72-seat ATR aircraft, with a flight-time of little over an hour, the new service will save almost ten hours compared to surface transport options on a round-trip. With fares starting from £68.99 one-way, including a hold-bag, and are on sale at easternairways.com

Besides adding a new UK region to the route map, Eastern Airways has also confirmed expanded flying on its links from Cornwall to London Gatwick and Humberside. The carrier will offer three flights a day on weekdays, all year-round, and increase its flights to Humberside from twice a week to four times a week from April 7, 2023.

Eastern Airways resumes flights to Aberdeen from Newcastle International Airport

Eastern Airways has said that it will resume flights between Newcastle International Airport and Aberdeen Airport from September 6, 2021.

The service provides the vital connectivity for many businesses in the North East of England and Scotland, as well as passengers looking to travel to Aberdeenshire or the Highlands on holiday or to visit friends and family.

The resumed schedule will see flights operating six days a week. Passengers flying with Eastern Airways can benefit from check-in up to 30 minutes prior to departure and one item of free hold baggage. Flights are on sale now from £84.99 one-way including a 15-kg hold bag at www.easternairways.com.

Roger Hage, General Manager, Eastern Airways, said: ‘We have served the North-East of England to Aberdeen for twenty years now and we welcome the return to our Newcastle base, restoring the North-East Scotland connection.

‘As passenger confidence and energy related activity increases, we want to ensure the right services are being offered. Eastern Airways is all about supporting the regions of the UK, connecting people and places. Ensuring the North-East’s main hub airport of Newcastle is connected to Aberdeen is part of our wider return adding further services at hubs we already serve and a crucial part of increasing connectivity and aiding economic recovery.’

Richard Knight, Chief Operating Officer at Newcastle International Airport said: ‘The connection between Newcastle and Aberdeen is vital for the region’s economy and many businesses that operate in the offshore sector.

‘This September marks twenty years since Eastern Airways began operating flights between the North East’s largest Airport and the city of Aberdeen. We are delighted that the airline has chosen to resume this important route which will benefit many businesses as they begin the road to recovery from the pandemic.

‘The airline has a number of robust safety measures in place, and along with our own Ten Point Plan we hope this will give passengers confidence that they will be safe when travelling.’

Eastern Airways to launch new Gibraltar service from Southampton

Eastern Airways has announced a new service between Southampton and the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar, starting from May 24.

The UK-based regional airline will operate to Gibraltar, located in the Southern Mediterranean on the Iberian Peninsula with strong maritime, finance and tourism links. Operated twice weekly initially on a Monday and Friday, this is the first scheduled passenger service to Gibraltar from Southampton.

The service will be operated on the airline’s Embraer 190 e-Jet fleet which includes the type being based at Southampton for the first-time. Flights are now available to book at www.easternairways.com

Roger Hage, GM for Eastern Airways, said: ‘This marks a major development in the network Eastern Airways offers as our first regular scheduled service to the Mediterranean peninsula adjoining Spain.

‘With a quality array of hotels, beaches, water-sports and heritage, this UK territory offers an exciting short-break destination aside from its role in UK business, notably financial services and maritime. With easy access to the south-coast of Spain also a benefit, working together with HM Government of Gibraltar has enabled this to be the first service to be announced, supporting UK regional airports and their role in direct European connectivity.

‘This adds to the French destinations of Nantes and Rennes announced last week and highlights the pivotal role Eastern Airways is playing in growing the UK’s air services.’

Steve Szalay, operations director at Southampton Airport, said: ‘The introduction of Eastern Airway’s first-ever service to Gibraltar is tremendous news and demonstrates the airline’s continued desire to grow its operations at Southampton Airport.

‘This is also a new destination for the airport and a positive step forward given the challenging conditions our entire industry continues to face. We look forward to working with Eastern to develop this service further and welcoming the first passengers later this year and indeed the basing of an Eastern Airways’ Embraer 190 aircraft to make this route and others possible.’

Minister for Business, Tourism, Transport and the Port of Her Majesty’s Government of Gibraltar the Hon Vijay Daryanani MP, said: ‘I stated recently that I would be able to announce the addition of another airline with services to Gibraltar and therefore it gives me great pleasure to make this announcement of Eastern Airways today.

‘The link with Southampton will open up a new catchment area for Gibraltar. Work by this Government to ensure that the tourism sector recovers and flourishes after this pandemic does not stop. The news will no doubt be welcomed by the local business community and the tourism, retail and hospitality industries. This Government is delivering air services to Gibraltar in an unprecedented manner and is committed to adding further routes and more carriers in due course.’

Eastern Airways is reintroducing the services complying with the changes in Covid-19 restrictions, with extensive cleaning measures on-board and throughout the airport. Eastern Airways also has a codeshare partnership focused on Southampton with Aurigny, Guernsey’s airline, to optimise increased passenger connectivity to the Channel Islands.

Eastern Airways to operate two new routes to Nantes and Rennes from Southampton

Eastern Airways, an independent UK-based carrier, has announced plans to operate two French regional destinations from Southampton in April.

The airline will commence services to Rennes Bretagne from Thursday, April 29 and Nantes Atlantique from Friday, April 30. The two routes will be operated using the airline’s 72 seat ATR72-600 aircraft, with the Nantes service flying on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays while Rennes will be operated on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays. The flights are now available to book at www.easternairways.com, with all fares including hold baggage.

Roger Hage, general manager for Eastern Airways, said: ‘As the UK’s regional airline, we are delighted to add the first two French connections from Southampton as being Nantes-Atlantique and Rennes-Bretagne, covering the key regions of the Loire Valley and Brittany.

‘Given Southampton’s prominence in connecting the UK and France, while also being within an hour of London by rail directly outside the terminal door, it is an exciting development for all.

‘With additional new destinations to follow in the coming days and weeks, Eastern Airways is committed to supporting the regions of the UK, connecting people and places, so adding further services at hubs we already serve is another crucial part in the economic recovery and prosperity of the South-Coast hub.’

Operations director at Southampton Airport Steve Szalay said: ‘This announcement from Eastern Airways is welcome news for the airport and our passengers.

‘It is also encouraging that the airline is expanding its route map at the airport during these challenging times and will once again provide those travelling from Southampton and beyond fantastic connectivity to these ever-popular French destinations.’

Eastern Airways will reintroduce the services carefully, aligned to changes in Covid-19 restrictions, with extensive cleaning measures on-board and across the airport for the safety of all passengers, it said.

Currently Eastern Airways serves Belfast-City, Manchester, Leeds-Bradford and Teesside from Southampton with Dublin planned. Eastern Airways also has a codeshare partnership focused on Southampton with Aurigny, Guernsey’s airline, to meet increased demand to the Channel Islands.

Eastern Airways to resume flights from Southampton this month

Eastern Airways, the UK regional airline, will resume services from Southampton Airport, including to Aberdeen, Belfast City, Dublin, Manchester, Newcastle, Leeds Bradford and Teesside later this month.

Starting Monday June 22, the Humberside Airport-based airline will commence a daily weekday service to Belfast City, Manchester, Newcastle and Aberdeen, while services to Leeds Bradford and Teesside will be introduced on Monday June 29 and Dublin services will commence on Thursday July 23. Frequency of services will be increased as appropriate through July, August and September to help restore the business and leisure connections. The flights are on sale through www.easternairways.com

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.’

Following the collapse of Flybe, Eastern Airways had stepped in to ensure regional connectivity from Southampton on an expanding network prior to the Covid-19 travel restrictions.

As part of new safety measures in light of COVID-19, Eastern Airways’ usual complimentary on-board service will be limited to enable 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 the service.

Eastern Airways announces new London City service from Newcastle Airport

Eastern Airways, a franchise partner of Flybe, has commenced a brand new service from Newcastle Airport to London City starting January 7.

The new route is the only direct scheduled flight connecting Newcastle with central London. Eastern Airways will operate a morning and evening peak service taking 70-minutes flight time each-way direct into London City Airport. Flights are now on sale up to winter 2019, and the service is expected to carry over 17,000 passengers during 2019. Fares start from £79.99 one way, inclusive of taxes and charges, and are bookable at flybe.com.

Richard Knight, Chief Operating Officer at Newcastle Airport, said: ‘It is very exciting to see any brand new route take off, but it is particularly special to know that this route will make such a difference to people based in the North East.

‘London City is a fantastic new service to add to our list of destinations, and we expect that it will particularity popular with busy business commuters heading down to the capital.

‘We expect this service to deliver an increase of tourist traffic to and from the region.’

Roger Hage, Eastern Airways’ General Manager Commercial & Operations, added: ‘It is vital that cities like Newcastle, and the North East region as a whole, has strong links with the capital – and our new London City service, on behalf of Flybe, offers the most convenient air link to reach the city and central London.

‘London City Airport’s location allows for easy, swift access to Canary Wharf and the London underground for both business and leisure travellers.’

Eastern Airways’ first flight of the day departs from Newcastle Airport at 8:05am, with passengers arriving in London City at 9.15am. An additional evening flight departs Newcastle Airport at 5.50pm, for arrival in London City at 7pm. Return flights from London City Airport depart twice a day at 9:45am and 7.30pm. On Sundays, an evening flight operates from Newcastle Airport at 5.50pm.

London Gatwick announces new route to Shanghai by China Eastern

London Gatwick has launched a new route to Shanghai, offering British passengers direct access to one of China’s key business hubs.

Operated by China Eastern, Gatwick’s new service to Shanghai Pudong Airport will operate three times every week – on Sundays, Tuesdays and Fridays. Operated using an Airbus A330-200, the route will provide over 70,000 seats and over 3,700 metric tonnes of cargo capacity – in both directions – every year.

China’s largest city, Shanghai is one of the world’s fastest-developing metropolises. The focal point of China’s growth story, Shanghai dominates the Yangtze River Economic Zone – a region accounting for 20 percent of China’s GDP. In addition to being a global financial hub and the centre for trade, technology and real estate within China, Shanghai is also an attractive tourist destination, known for its unique style of architecture.

Guy Stephenson, Chief Commercial Officer, Gatwick Airport said: ‘The addition of one of the world’s biggest financial centres to Gatwick’s route network is very good news for the UK, particularly as connections to China and other non-European countries are set to take on extra significance in the New Year and beyond.

‘With China being one of the UK’s main trading partners, this is a vital business route connecting two of the world’s most important cities – but Shanghai is equally an exciting and much sought-after tourist destination. We’re pleased to welcome China Eastern to Gatwick for the first time and are delighted that our passengers now have direct access to everything that China’s largest city has to offer.’

The new Shanghai route comes after an increased demand from Gatwick passengers for flights to China. The number of passengers travelling to China from Gatwick increased by 54.3 percent year-on-year during the first half of the current financial year.

Gatwick operates over 60 different long haul routes, with one in six of the airport’s 46 million annual passengers now travelling to long-haul destinations, the airport noted.