UK regional airline Loganair is to create a new base at Southampton Airport in southern England allowing it to launch a key domestic route to Manchester.
The Glasgow-based carrier said it will base two ATR-72 600 aircraft at Southampton, with the first due to arrive in October.
The move will allow Loganair to start a new daily route from Southampton to Manchester from 26 October, which will be timed to connect with the airline’s flights from Manchester to Inverness, Aberdeen and the Isle of Man.
Meanwhile, capacity on the carrier’s existing Southampton-Edinburgh route will increase from 49 to 72 passengers per flight by using larger aircraft.
Loganair will also add a new daily route from Manchester to Exeter to its schedule from 26 October.
Luke Farajallah, Loganair CEO, said opening a base at Southampton was “a logical and important strategic step” for the airline.
“Loganair is very familiar with operations to and from the South Coast, and we feel confident the local market will respond well to our more permanent presence and new routes through the basing of two aircraft later this year," he added.
“Southampton offers a unique location and we believe the markets, local people and businesses will respond well to our presence in this thriving part of the UK.”
Loganair already has bases at nine UK airports including Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen, Dundee, Inverness and Newcastle.
Kam Jandu, chief executive of AGS Airports, which owns Southampton Airport, added: “Manchester is the most sought-after route by businesses across the region and was previously used by more than 200,000 passengers per year.
“The reintroduction of this route will further strengthen the economic ties between the two cities and Loganair’s extensive airline interline agreements will open even more global connection opportunities for our passengers, making the world even more accessible from their local airport.”