A WINTER air service linking Southampton and Geneva has relaunched, marking the start of the skiing season.

Sunday saw the first easyJet flight take off from Southampton with more than 180 passenger son board.

The Geneva service will operate every Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday.

The service began in 2016

Neil Garwood, managing director at Southampton Airport, said: “We are delighted to welcome back easyJet with their popular flights to Geneva. The direct flights to the Alps and our breeze-through facilities are a perfect combination for skiers looking to maximise their time on the snowy slopes, and we are looking forward to welcoming more passengers this year than ever.”

Ali Gayward, easyJet’s UK country manager, said: “We are really pleased to be operating again this winter at Southampton with our route to Geneva. We see continued demand from passengers travelling with us from the region with this route providing customers looking to spend Christmas in the Alps or hit the slopes next winter with an easy and affordable option.”

The service began in 2016 and last year more than 13,000 passengers took advantage of this flight, served by the Airbus A320 aircraft.

Tickets are on sale now with the fares starting from £31.99 for a one-way ticket.

The return of the Alpine flights is a boost for the airport which is soon to lose the KLM service to Amsterdam, which began in 2016.

A KLM spokesman the service was being withdrawn for financial and commercial reasons as well as slot restrictions imposed by Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport.

Last week the airport's expansion plans received backed by the public after six-week consultation.

More than 60 per cent of those who gave their views agreed that the airport needed to grow, with a runway extension and terminal expansion tabled as part of its draft master plan. Aviation facility upgrades are also proposed.