BOURNEMOUTH Airport will see flights to nine sunny destinations relaunch this month as its summer season gets underway.

The airport’s largest operator, TUI, has this week started flights to Crete, Corfu, Zante, Kefalonia, Menorca and Rhodes.

Later this month, TUI will start flights to Ibiza on May 26, Antalya on May 27 and Dalaman in Turkey on May 30.

Read more: Ryanair adds new flight destination from Bournemouth Airport in time for summer

Steve Gill, managing director of Bournemouth Airport, said: “This week really does mark the start of the holiday season for us and we’re delighted that TUI is once again offering such a diverse range of destinations from Bournemouth.

“Passengers have an excellent choice available from their local airport and we’re already seeing many bookings back to pre-pandemic levels and in some cases even better. We’re looking forward to a busy 2022 and can’t wait to welcome passengers back.”

Karen Switzer, director of aviation planning at TUI, said: "We're delighted to begin our summer 2022 programme to customers’ favourite holiday hotspots from Bournemouth Airport.

“We remain committed to offering our customers as much choice and flexibility from regional airports when it comes to our great range of holidays. We know that many of our customers haven’t been overseas for more than two years and can’t we wait to take them on their well-deserved holidays."

Bournemouth Airport is offering a total of 33 destinations in 16 countries in 2022/23 and has had a successful recruitment drive in preparation for the peak season.

Destinations available from Bournemouth Airport in 2022/23:

  •  Cyprus: Paphos
  • Croatia: Zadar (new for 2022)
  • France: Bergerac
  • Greece: Corfu, Crete, Kefalonia, Rhodes, Zante
  • Hungary: Budapest (new for 2022)
  • Ireland: Dublin
  • Lapland: Enontekiö, Ivalo, Pajala
  • Malta (new for 2022)
  • Poland: Krakow, Wroclaw (new for 2022)
  • Portugal: Faro
  • Spain: Alicante, Girona, Gran Canaria, Ibiza, Lanzarote, Majorca, Malaga, Menorca, Murcia, Tenerife
  • Switzerland: Geneva
  • Turkey: Antalya, Dalaman
  • Special Departures: Barbados (fly/cruise), Fjords (fly/cruise), Bergamo (Italian Lakes), Arctic Circle