Eastern Airways has announced the addition of two French routes from Southampton airport this spring.
The regional carrier will operate three times weekly services on former Flybe routes from Southampton to Rennes Bretagne and Nantes Atlantique.
Flights to Renne will launch on Thursday April 29, operating on Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday, while those to Nantes will launch on Friday April 30, operating on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
Both routes will be served by a 72-seat ATR72-600 turboprop aircraft.
The French destinations join existing Eastern Airways routes from Southampton to Belfast City, Manchester, Leeds-Bradford and Teesside, with a service to Dublin also in the planning.
In December British Airways announced a raft of new routes from Southampton for summer 2021, including the French destinations of Bergerac and Limoges.
Operations director at Southampton Airport Steve Szalay said that it was “encouraging that the airline is expanding its route map at the airport during these challenging times”, while Roger Hage, GM for Eastern Airways, commented:
“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.”
