FLIGHTS to see the Northern Lights direct from Bournemouth Airport will launch next year.

Travel company Hurtigruten will be offering two charter flights in 2014 direct from Bournemouth with two itinerary options available.

This is the first time the company, which specialises in Northern Lights voyages, has offered its holidays with direct flights from Bournemouth.

For 2012/13 it was anticipated that the full year passenger numbers for Bournemouth Airport would stand at 672,033, representing an 8.3 per cent growth on the previous year’s figures of 619,727.

Paul Knight, managing director of Bournemouth Airport, said: “Seeing the famous glow of the northern lights is must-do on the bucket list for many people, so we hope these trips repeat the success of similar flights in recent years – especially as flying locally from Bournemouth removes the inconvenience of a long car trip to an airport in London or the Midlands.

“Dating back to the Concorde charters, niche flights have always been well-received locally and this latest addition to the mix of holiday charters and European services, alongside the US connections now available via the six weekly Dublin service, further enhances the choices on offer to passengers.”

From July, Aer Lingus will increase its Dublin service to six per week, enabling passengers to not only pre-clear US customs at Dublin but also opening up connecting onward flights to the likes of New York, Boston and Chicago.