Hampshire holiday goers can now fly direct to a brand new popular holiday destination, known best for its great weather, sandy beaches and vibrant nightlife. TUI’s groups Thomson & First Choice have announced the addition of Ibiza to the list of destinations that Southampton now operate to. Flights will run every Thursday for the next 17 weeks. The news comes after TUI announces a new strategy to use more regional airports. Thompson will be using Boeing 717s fit with 100 seats. The duration of the flight will be 2 hours and 20 minutes, with fares starting at £184.

Dave Lees, managing director of Southampton Airport said: “We are delighted that Thomson and First Choice have launched a new route to Ibiza. It demonstrates the holiday company’s commitment to the airport and provides, even more, choice to local people.”

Over 7.1 million passengers visited the Balearic Island in 2016. Flights to this destination will now give holidaymakers a chance to visit some of the most popular flagship hotels in Ibiza such as the the Sensatori Resort and the adults-only 4T Platinum Club featuring luxury spas and live music shows.

Karen Switzer, director of aviation planning for TUI UK & Ireland, added: “Introducing the new route to Ibiza is a key part of our strategy to enhance the holiday experience for our customers from Southampton and give them wider access to our exciting collection of destinations.”

The news of destination expansion follows the announcement  that more than 2 million passengers used the airport in a 12 month period between May 2016 and April 2017. This is a huge milestone for Southampton, being the first time the airport has beached the 2 million mark.

Mr Lees added; “The airport has been working extremely hard to deliver the routes and services that our passengers demand.”

Let’s hope the addition of new destination will bring even more growth!

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Southampton Airport will soon be able to boast new state-of-the-art body scanning airport security technology in a timely reply to the new regulations set out but the Department for Transport.

As of December 12th, the brand new security scanners, commonly known as body scanners, have the ability to identify a huge number of various threats to security. Potential threats can be identified in as little as a few seconds in order to maximise passenger security.  

The new facilities will be used as well as the existing security measures and screening systems. This specific model of scanning created by Rohde and Schwartz draws on millimetre wave technology at an output several times lower than that of a mobile phone.

How do they work?

The scanners will produce a mannequin-like image in order to highlight any areas which may require staff to take further inspection of. Southampton Airport will be the 4th UK airport to install this specific technology.

Simon Young, security operations manager at the airport, said: “The technology employed by the security scanner is designed in such a way that it maintains the privacy of the passenger whilst also ensuring the safety and security of the airport, something which is paramount to us.

"If people want more information on the scanners then our website will have a list of all frequently asked questions and we will also be providing passengers with leaflets containing information on the scanner and the reasons behind its introduction.”

Southampton saw 1.8 million passengers pass through their facilities in 2015 and boasts being the 18th busiest airport in the UK with its top domestic and international destinations being Edinburgh and Amsterdam. In September, the airport reported its busiest month on record, therefore with a forecasted rise in passenger numbers then it looks like the new security could be coming just at a perfect time to deal with the increase.

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Great news for Southampton Airport as it celebrates its busiest summer on record with close to 430,000 passengers travelling through the facilities over July and August. The new passenger levels have seen an increase of 14.6% compared to the same time last year.

bmi, who claim to be the UK’s most punctual airline, now offer a new direct route flying jets from Southampton to Munich twice a day. In celebration of the first flight arriving in Munich last week, local fire services organised a welcoming arch of water across the runway, while Dave Lees,the Managing Director of Southampton Airport, then opened a bottle of champagne to celebrate the arrival of the new route.

Think back to December of 1994. A time when Southampton was waiting for something very exciting indeed. Prince Andrew was on his way to open the brand new passenger terminal at Southampton airport.