A NEW air service linking Southampton to the holiday isle of Skiathos makes its debut next month.

The first weekly flight, provided by FlyLolo will take off on July 3, 3pm.

The service will operate every Tuesday until October

Unlike many other flights that have to stop en-route back from Skiathos at Thessaloniki and Kavala, Southampton Airport and FlyLolo offer a non-stop flight in both directions.

The aircraft, operated by Flybe, is a 118-seater Embraer 195, however due to the short runway in Skiathos the aircraft has to operate with a restricted load of 97 passengers, giving plenty of room for people to stretch out.

Neil Garwood, the managing director for Southampton Airport said: “We are very proud to have the Skiathos route as part of our busy summer schedule. It’s a truly unique opportunity to be able to offer our passengers a direct connection from the UK’s south coast to Greece."

Skiathos, the most popular of the Sporades islands, was the setting set for the movie musical, Mamma Mia! musical.

FlyLolo has announced that its first flight is 80 per cent sold, however there are still seats left at a special price of £129pp on 3rd and £179pp on 10th of July.

In summer 2019 the airline is looking to increase the number of flights to two per week.