A much-awaited flight route from Dublin Airport to a new UK destination has finally begun operating - over a year after the original date.
The Eastern Airway's Dublin to Southampton route will operate four times a week with plans of increasing the frequency over time.
The flights will run on Monday, Thursday, Friday, and Sunday.
The Dublin-Southampton route was previously run by Flybe before the company collapsed in 2020.
Roger Hage, general manager for Eastern Airways said: We are delighted to see Southern Ireland open up again to international travel which will provide essential connectivity for businesses and tourism as the economy starts to recover as well as allowing family and friends to reconnect.
"The Dublin service is a much-welcomed addition for our continued plans at Southampton airport and compliment Belfast-City on Northern Ireland we also operate in an ever-expanding South-Coast network."
While non-essential international travel has returned, the number of people moving through Dublin Airport is still down 87% on pre-Covid July levels.
Siobhan O’Donnell of the Dublin Airport Authority said on Monday: "We have a very long way to go.
“It’s great having people back, having our customers back. It was very emotional this morning.
“But it will be slow and steady progress, and we hope to see passenger numbers increase in the coming months.”
Inside the airport things are very different, with social distancing rules, perspex screens and hand sanitising stations in place throughout.
Face masks had to be worn at all times, while dining inside the airport was table service only – a key change from pre-Covid times.
Despite extra measures, a lack of social distancing was evident at queues for security – regardless of calls from officials for people to stay two metres apart.
