Authorities were on hand to offer a festive welcome to passengers arriving in Gibraltar today on Eastern Airways’ inaugural flight from Southampton.
Minister for business, tourism, transport and the port Vijay Daryanani was among those present, together with representatives from Gibraltar International Airport and Gibraltar Tourist Board, who presented the passengers with Visit Gibraltar-branded gifts after their flight had been welcomed with a traditional water cannon salute by the Airport Fire and Rescue Service.
“Today we see the culmination of my hard work, with the full support of the government, in achieving a new carrier for Gibraltar,” said Daryanani. “We warmly welcome Eastern Airways’ new service, opening up another catchment area for Gibraltar. The service will be another boost to our tourism and business communities. We look forward to working with the airline on more opportunities for the future.”
The new service is being operated twice-weekly, throughout the year, on Mondays and Fridays, using Embraer E170 and E190 jets. Eastern Airways has also scheduled year-long flights on the same days from Birmingham, starting on Friday 28 May.
More Summer Flights with EasyJet
Meanwhile, EasyJet has announced an increase in flights to Gibraltar this summer, adding extra rotations to existing routes from London Gatwick, Bristol and Manchester. The airline has also brought forward the scheduled start of flights from Edinburgh to 5 June.
Minister Vijay Daryanani said he was delighted that Easyjet planned to boost its services over what was originally planned. “It is also encouraging to see that our first regular connection by air with Scotland is to start soon… This move by the airline will allow more visitors from the UK to visit Gibraltar this summer and enjoy their great British staycation in the Mediterranean.”
Click here for up-to-date information about flight services at Gibraltar International Airport.