BA CityFlyer returns to Southampton airport with revived base for European flights

Thirteen years after BA abandoned Southampton and a dozen other regional airports, it is returning to the Hampshire city with an extensive network of European flights – at least at weekends. From May 2021, BA CityFlyer, the airline’s subsidiary based at London City airport, will take up some of the routes from Southampton abandoned when Flybe collapsed in March 2020. On 1 May, BA flights will depart to Faro in Portugal, Florence in Italy and Malaga and Palma in Spain – with Ibiza starting a day later. Three destinations in France will start on 15 May: Bergerac, Limoges and Nice. On 16 May, the longest route – the 1,607-mile link to the Greek island of Mykonos – is due to begin. Noise-abatement rules at London City mean that the airline cannot fly from its main base between Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning. Two additional once-a-week links will be added for “positioning” purposes – getting planes to and from Southampton. On Sundays BA will fly from Southampton to Berlin and Edinburgh, with the aircraft returning on Fridays.<br/>