New flights have been revealed from Southampton to France.

Eastern Airways will launch flights from the city to Rodez in south-west France.

Rodez is the capital of the Aveyron department located in the north east of the Midi-Pyrenees region between the foothills of the Massif Central and the plains of the south west. 

The UK regional airline will launch a twice weekly service on June 2 for the summer. 

Flights take 75 minutes and leave Southampton at 8.20am on Fridays and 1130am on Mondays. 

Services depart Rodez at 11.20am on Fridays and 3.15pm on Mondays. 

Due to the geographical location of Rodez, between the Millau Viaduct and the mediaeval village of Conques, its 2,000-year-old history offers a diversity of culture with museums and sites to visit. 

Its UNESCO World Heritage candidacy, as well as the natural beauty of the Aveyron department, contributes to a popular tourism destination attracting people from around France, the UK and Europe.

Mathew Herzberg, Eastern Airways’ head of commercial, said: “The Rodez service is aimed at leisure travellers taking weekend or week long summer breaks in the south west of France.

"Not only will it appeal to those with holiday homes in the area, but also from an inbound tourism perspective Southampton is the gateway to the south coast of England and also an option for London.”

Dave Lees, Southampton Airport’s managing director, said: “It’s great that we can now offer even more choice to our passengers in terms of French regional holidays from Southampton.

"Rodez is a fantastic destination for those looking to sample Southern France but also ideal for people with second homes and holiday homes in this beautiful un-discovered region.”

Fares start from £85 one way, including taxes and charges and are now bookable at www.easternairways.com 

Eastern Airways started operations from Southampton in 2003 and currently offer flights from the south coast to Leeds Bradford and Aberdeen. 

The airline has been operating for 19 years and has two Embraer 170, three Embraer 145 and two Embraer 135 jets in its fleet, as well as nine Saab 2000s and is the largest operator in the world of Jetstream 41 aircraft with 17.