A new air service between Southampton and Munich took off for the first time this morning.

bmi regional’s new route offers direct jet flights from Southampton to Munich twice daily.

As the first plane from Munich arrived today the airport’s fire trucks sent up a welcoming arch of water across the runway.

Dave Lees, managing director of Southampton Airport then cracked open a bottle of Champagne to toast the new service while Jochen Schnadt, bmi’s chief commercial officer, brought traditional German biscuits to celebrate the event.

Mr Schnadt said: “Since we announced the launch of this new route we’ve received excellent feedback from both corporate and leisure customers with a positive volume of early bookings.”

Mr Lees said: “Scheduled air services to Munich have been requested by businesses in the local region as well as by holiday makers in Germany looking to start their cruises from Southampton.

"Munich is also the home of many major companies that have links with our region, including Airbus and BMW.

"We look forward to welcoming bmi to Southampton Airport for what promises to be a successful route”.

Munich is an important destination for business travellers as it is one Germany’s main financial centres and home to home of global brands including BMW and Siemens.

For leisure visitors, Munich offers the famous Oktoberfest, the English Garden and spectacular Christmas markets.

The city is also a gateway to skiing and hiking holidays in the Alps.

Thanks to bmi agreement with Lufthansa, passengers flying from Southampton can connect to a further 200 global destinations from the Bavarian capital.

The new service offers 12 flights per week, operating twice daily Monday to Friday with one flight per day on Saturdays and Sundays.

One-way fares start from £72. Flights are available to book now at bmiregional.com.