New horizons: as summer flight schedules start, these are our favourite additions

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Easter Sunday final fell on 31 March in 2002. In that 12 months, Manchester airport – one of many UK’s prime 4 gateways – dealt with 18.8 million passengers. Last 12 months, there have been 10 million extra. That quantity is bound to extend this summer as a result of Manchester is certainly one of many UK airports with new flights launched for the height season. (It can be including to the uncommon locations which are not additionally served from London, with a Ryanair flight to Reggio Calabria in southern Italy.)

This weekend, the vary of locations on departure screens blossoms. In the airline world, summer begins when the clocks change. Many carriers use the second so as to add new flights.

The UK authorities has executed its greatest to encourage flying by lowering air passenger responsibility for home departures; environmentalists are horrified. Anna Hughes, director of Flight Free UK, says: “While it’s exciting to look ahead to the summer holidays, it would be much better to make plans in a low-carbon way. Last summer’s wildfires across the Mediterranean were a potent illustration that our climate situation is fragile and getting worse, and a bumper summer of flying will only exacerbate that.

“There are countless holiday destinations all across Europe that can be reached by boat, coach or train, for a fraction of the emissions of a flight, so not flying doesn’t mean giving up our holidays.”

Airlines say they are doing their greatest to cut back the affect of flying. Passengers can restrict their injury by flying solely in primary economic system class with airways which have essentially the most trendy plane.

These are the brand new hyperlinks that I discover most fascinating – adopted by the choose of airline schedule analyst Sean Moulton.

Simon’s choice – all starting on 31 March

London Gatwick-Lagos, Air Peace. Nigeria’s greatest metropolis – and the nation as a complete – is dismally underserved from the UK. The arrival of a comparatively resilient Nigerian airline may start to handle that and, moreover, supply connecting hyperlinks to western and southern Africa. But for the inaugural flight, fares are already north of £1,000 return.

Birmingham-Beauvais, Ryanair. Flights from the West Midlands to a small city in northern France could not set the journey pulse racing however it is a helpful new hyperlink. It will supply a far cheaper different to Air France’s current path to Paris CDG. The 90-minute bus switch to the French capital could also be annoying however it may prevent £100. The route may additionally spur curiosity in comparatively under-visited close by places such as Amiens, Compiegne and Rouen.

Southampton-Alicante, easyJet. What a distinction 164 metres makes. That is the size of the runway extension on the Hampshire airport. Making the runway longer permits plane to hold extra gas, allowing a far wider vary of alternatives to hyperlink Southampton with sunshine locations. It will create competitors with Gatwick and Heathrow (each 53 miles northeast) and Bournemouth (24 miles southwest).

Liverpool-Corfu, Ryanair. John Lennon airport is anticipating 12 per cent passenger development this 12 months, with Jet2 launching a four-aircraft base and Ryanair relentlessly increasing. Like Birmingham, multi-airline competitors is flourishing, with easyJet and Wizz Air weighing in. Three many years in the past, nearly the one place you can fly was the Isle of Man.

London Gatwick-Agadir, British Airways. BA’s EuroFlyer operation goes face to face with easyJet from the Sussex airport – all the time a welcome sight. Morocco extra extensively is getting extra hyperlinks, with Ryanair beginning Birmingham to Marrakech on the identical day.

Sean’s choice – varied begin dates

Ryanair launching Norwich for the primary time, with three routes: Alicante, Faro and Malta.

Azerbaijan Airlines, Swiss International Airlines and Uzbekistan Airways increasing in London by including flights to Gatwick firstly of the summer season.

Blue Islands including Jersey to the Isle of Man from 23 April – connecting the 2 crown dependencies.

JetBlue including Edinburgh to broaden its UK presence (at the moment Heathrow and Gatwick) to 3 airports, with transatlantic hyperlinks.

Italy being higher linked to the UK – with Reggio Calabria and Salerno being linked to Manchester and London Gatwick respectively.