NEW daily flights from Southampton Airport to Dublin have been announced.

The Aer Lingus route will start on October 30, with fares starting at £39.99 and is part of the wider expansion strategy by airline operator Emerald Airlines.

Passengers will be flying on the latest generation aircraft, emitting up to 40 per cent less carbon dioxide on short flights.

Commenting on the latest announcement, Steve Szalay, Operations Director at Southampton Airport, said: “This is brilliant news and we welcome this additional service from Aer Lingus Regional’s operator Emerald Airlines, which will complement the Belfast City service launched by the airline in July this year.”

Ciarán Smith, head of commercial at Emerald Airlines, said: “After a very successful summer season, we are delighted to be upping our frequencies and adding new routes out of Dublin to/from Southampton.

“With convenient timings and cost-effective flights, we strongly believe these connections will be warmly welcomed by both business and leisure travellers. We look forward to a busy winter ahead!”

Emerald Airlines is Ireland’s newest regional airline and exclusive operator of the Aer Lingus Regional route network, which operates over 568 flights per week across 22 routes from Dublin and Belfast City airport.