Long hauls to start from airport

Passengers are asking for long-haul flights

Nottingham East Midlands Airport will begin operating its first long-haul flights from early May.

The airport will offer a weekly service to Cancun in Mexico with weekly flights to the Dominican Republic from June.

The airport is facing new competition from the recently opened Robin Hood Airport near Doncaster.

East Midlands airport chief executive Penny Coates said she is convinced there is a market for long-haul flights from regional centres in the UK.

"We had to make sure there is a demand for long-haul flights in the region, but we are hearing from customers that they want them now.

"We have had the capacity for some time now, but for a long time only Manchester was offering them," she said.

The Robin Hood Airport in Finningley will also operate transatlantic flights starting in the summer with services to the Caribbean, Florida and Mexico.