Ryanair has today (21 July) launched its summer service to Corfu, connecting Teesside Airport to the Greek island for the first time in 12 years.
The route is operating every Wednesday until the end of October, flying from Teesside at 17.20, with the return flight from the popular tourist hotspot arriving back at 16.50.
It is the latest holiday service operated by Europe’s No 1 airline to be launched this year, after departures to Alicante, Faro in Portugal and Palma, Majorca all jetted off from the region over the past few weeks. It is the first time the area has had a direct connection to Corfu since Thomson Holidays’ flights in 2009.
Corfu remains on the Government’s amber list for international travel, but with the recent relaxation of restrictions people who are fully vaccinated against Covid-19 and who have had their second jab at least 14 days before travelling can fly to those countries without having to self-isolate on their return to the UK. Arrivals will still have to take a PCR test on or before day two of their arrival.
Sue Thurlbeck who lives near Richmond who the last time she visited Teesside was to fly Corfu said: “It’s been really good, easy and quick.
“Normally I’d go from Newcastle, it’s a bit closer but Teesside is a more relaxing experience and friendly. I’m really impressed with refit and already I’m looking for where else to go.”
Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen said: “This is the last summer service that Ryanair had to launch from our airport, and like Faro it’s an absolute bonus thanks to the brilliant uptake in flights to Alicante and Palma. Ryanair originally came to us with two routes and managed to announce two more, even in the face of a global pandemic.
“Since buying our airport and saving it from closure I’ve always said, ‘use it or lose it’ and I’m thrilled that it’s clear people do want to be able to back our local airport. We’ve invested in our terminal upgrade to make it even better, smoother and more kitted out than ever before and recruited dozens of new staff to improve the passenger experience, and this is paying off.
“This has been a difficult 18 months and now people from across Teesside, Darlington and Hartlepool have a large slate of international and domestic flights for a well-deserved. We’re not slowing down as we continue to attract more routes and airlines and we can all look forward to an even bigger and better summer 2022.”
Viv Williams from Sunderland speaking in the departure lounge she said: “Last time we flew from Teesside was 22 years ago when we went to Majorca. The parking is fantastic, better than Newcastle where it is miles to walk.
“The scanning device is state of the art at security and it’s great that you don’t have to take anything out of your bag, we got straight through.
“It’s all so clean and in the current climate it feels really safe compared to other airports. To be honest I hope it stays a hidden gem. We don’t want too many people knowing about it.” She added: “Staff are friendly, there was so many documents to check but they were really Efficient.”
Before you fly, check out the latest Government rules on international travel and guidance for using the airport by visiting www.teessideinternational.com/covid
