Travellers flying from Exeter on charter holiday routes have significantly increased year-on-year in each of the past three months, and boosted the airport’s charter passenger traffic by 22 per cent on the same months compared to 2009.
The 93 per cent rise in non-EU passenger numbers for the end of the summer made Exeter, according to CAA statistics, the second highest of the UK airports for year on year charter growth.
The rise in September and October figures was largely driven by routes to Turkey and Tunisia but November has also been a busier month for the airport’s charter flights with the new Sharm el-Sheikh route and the introduction of winter Gran Canaria holidays mainly contributing to the year on year increase in the month.
Matt Roach, Exeter Airport’s Finance Director said: “These excellent figures are encouraging and we appreciate the part that the major tour operators have played in providing services from Exeter to destinations that have proved to be very popular.”
Carl Gissing, Director of Customer Services for Thomson Airways, the airline for Thomson and First Choice, said: “At Thomson Airways we are fully committed to supporting our regional UK airports as we understand the importance of offering our customers greater choice and flexibility. We are particularly pleased to have been able to contribute to the growth in passenger numbers at Exeter airport, launching Sharm el Sheikh as a new destination in November this year.”
