James Warren
THE first Eastern Airways flight from Birmingham touched down in Gibraltar last Friday after a four year hiatus for the Humberside based carrier.
Gibraltar’s link to the Midlands was previously operated by Monarch airline which ran charter and scheduled services out of Birmingham airport.
However the collapse of Monarch in 2017 left the Birmingham area with no direct links to the Rock.
But earlier this year Eastern Airways agreed to take up the mantle and introduce two weekly, year-round flights to Gibraltar on Mondays and Fridays.
The new route was launched just as Gibraltar was named as one of the few destinations to make it onto the UK’s travel green list, meaning quarantine will not be required on return to the UK.
“What a welcome sign of summer and return to enjoying the sun in the Mediterranean this first service from Birmingham to Gibraltar marks,” Roger Hage, general manager for Eastern Airways said in a press conference.
“Our work with the Gibraltar Government and the airports and tourism teams have enabled this new service to start and complement the service from Southampton, highlighting the pivotal role Eastern Airways.”
Vijay Daryanani, minister for business and tourism praised the new service, “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.”
Those on board the inaugural flight which arrived on Friday afternoon were greeted with a Water Cannon Salute and a Guard of Honour by the Re-enactment Society.
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