Excellent bookings for Flybe franchise carrier Loganair’s new routes from Norwich International Airport this spring have prompted the airline to add two more services to its network, opening up an even greater range of links to and from East Anglia.

Based on the early success of bookings taken for the expanded timetable of Flybe flights from Norwich to Manchester and the new services to Exeter and Newquay, two more brand new routes linking Norwich with Southampton and the Isle of Man will be introduced for Summer 2012.

Flights to Southampton will operate weekly on Saturdays from 19 May to 27 October. The service, leaving Norwich at 09:00 and taking just 50 minutes, is designed to allow cruise passengers travelling on the extensive range of sailings available from Southampton to enjoy a trouble-free and speedy start to their holiday.   

With cruise lines including Fred Olsen, Royal Caribbean, P&O, Princess, Celebrity and Cunard offering more departures from Southampton than ever before this year, it’s clear that more and more people will be taking cruises, but road journeys from Norfolk via the M25 and Dartford Crossing to Southampton can be lengthy and unpredictable. Road and rail travel troubles and congestion will inevitably worsen during the Olympic Games in east London, and so the airline is confident that its non-stop flight will take the hassle out of travel between East Anglia and the UK’s premier cruise ship port.

Return flights will leave Southampton at 10:20 on Saturdays, arriving in Norwich at 11:10 – ideal for those docking in the early morning to enjoy a leisurely breakfast aboard their cruise ship before disembarking for the short journey to the airport nearby to check-in for their homeward flight.

The new link to the Isle of Man will take to the air on Saturday 26 May and services will operate weekly until 8 September. This is East Anglia’s first non-stop link with the Isle of Man in recent times, and is designed to offer an easy and convenient link for those holidaying in the Isle of Man, visiting friends and relatives or travelling to major events like the TT Races, hosted on the island in the first two weeks of June.

Flybe and its franchise partner Loganair will also offer a choice of convenient connections between Norwich and the Isle of Man on other days via Manchester to enable passengers to find flights to suit their travel plans.    The direct flight will leave Norwich at 15:10 on Saturdays, arriving into the Isle of Man at 16:20; return flights will leave the Isle of Man at 16:50 and arrive in Norwich at 18:00.

Commenting on the expansion at Norwich, Loganair’s Chief Operating Officer Jonathan Hinkles said: “The response in Norwich to our announcement of more Manchester services and new Exeter links has been simply fantastic, which has given us confidence to add to our route network before the first flight has even taken to the air. We fully expect that these two new summer services will be popular and urge passengers to book early at flybe.com to find the cheapest fares.”