TEESSIDE International Airport has announced its first routes for its 2021 summer season as it works to deliver a bigger and better offering after the coronavirus pandemic impacted flights this year.

Balkan Holidays’ flights to Bourgas in Bulgaria are set to take off again, alongside JetsGo Holiday’s breaks to Majorca, which are flying from the airport for the first time next year.

Balkan Holidays, the leading specialist for beach holidays to Bulgaria, has committed to twice-weekly flights running on Thursdays and Sundays from May 23 to giving holidaymakers the opportunity for seven, ten, 11 or 14-day breaks.

The route launched in 2019 but was paused this year due to the coronavirus pandemic. However its success in 2019 and Teesside Airport being the biggest selling airport for the flights prior to the outbreak this year has led Balkan to offer this expanded service.

The holidays begin from as little as £354 per person and take in popular beach resorts such as Sunny Beach, Nessebar and Golden Sands.

JetsGo’s Majorca breaks were also paused due to the pandemic, however it has now confirmed that it will be flying from Teesside to the popular Spanish island with the first flight in the service taking off on Sunday, July 25, with the final return on September 19.

Couples deals start from £379 per person based on seven nights self-catering in September. All-inclusive school holiday family deals start at £529pp based on seven nights for a family of four in August.

Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen said: “The cancellation of our 2020 summer schedule was upsetting but unavoidable as the coronavirus pandemic took hold across the globe. I know a lot of families were looking forward to flying out from Teesside to Majorca, Bulgaria and more for their holidays, but the circumstances were outside of anyone’s control.

“Now we’re looking to the future to make 2021 the best summer it can be for holidaymakers across the region, with these popular routes back at our airport and, in Balkan Holidays’ case, growing from its last service in 2019. We’ve been growing our offering of year-round routes but the school holidays and summer sun give us a real chance to give people something to look forward to.

“Both Balkan Holidays and JetsGo Holidays share our confidence in Teesside International and have shown this with their commitment to coming back year after year, even when the wider aviation industry is going through a difficult time. We’re delighted to welcome them back.

“We have even more exciting announcements to come for summer 2021 – and for our airport in general – so watch this space for more.”

Chris Rand, Sales and Marketing Manager, Balkan Holidays said: “We are pleased to be repeating our Teesside to Bourgas charter flight for summer 2021. It was a popular flight for summer 2019 and so we have added a second flight to give a choice of seven, ten, 11 and 14 night durations. Many of our customers transferred their summer 2020 holiday to summer 2021 so it should be even more popular, so don't delay book today, our deposit is just £49 per person!"

Daniel Reilly, Managing Director of JetsGo Holidays, said: “We are pleased to be able confirm a service from Teesside to Majorca for summer 2021 as we saw an excellent response from the region for our summer 2020 flight programme which unfortunately was unable to operate. While 2020 has turned into a staycation year for the majority, many have expressed a real desire to get something planned for next year that they can really look forward to, evident by the fact a lot of our summer 2020 customers opted to change their holidays over to 2021 instead.

“Teesside offers an easy and convenient start to a holiday for everyone living in the region. We have a fantastic range of competitively priced package deals available for 2021 with family-friendly flight times, all bookable with a low £75 per person deposit. We look forward to continuing to work with Teesside Airport to explore new opportunities for additional services in the future.”

To find out more and to book a flight, visit www.teessideinternational.com/destinations