Name: Southampton Airport
IATA code: SOU
Address: Southampton Airport, SO18 2NL, UK
Telephone: +44 (0) 870 040 0009
Website: www.southamptonairport.com

Southampton Airport is located in the town of Eastleigh in Hampshire, just north of Southampton city centre. It handled just over 1.94 million passengers in 2008, making it the 20th busiest airport in the UK and the busiest airport on the south coast that year. The airport has a long history of civil and military aviation; there is a sculpture of a Supermarine Spitfire at the entrance to the airport to commemorate the first test flights of the aircraft that took place here. Southampton Airport currently offers flights from 15 airlines and tour operators to over 40 destinations across the UK and Europe. The airport provides an important link between the Channel Islands and the UK mainland. Several airlines serving the airport offer flights from Southampton to the islands of Alderney, Guernsey and Jersey as well as other island destinations such as the Isles of Scilly and the Isle of Man. International routes offered by Southampton Airport are currently centred on Western European and destinations around the Mediterranean.

The British airline Flybe, though based in Exeter, has its largest base at Southampton Airport. It offers scheduled flights from Southampton Airport to domestic and international destinations such as Aberdeen, Alicante, Amsterdam, Brest, Brussels, Dublin, Dubrovnik, Dusseldorf, Faro, Frankfurt, Glasgow, Hanover, Limoges, Malaga, Manchester, Palma de Mallorca, Paris, Perpignan and Salzburg. Aer Arann, Air France, Aurigny Air Services, Blue Islands, Eastern Airways and Isles of Scilly Skybus are the other scheduled airlines currently offering flights from Southampton. Cork, Geneva, Zurich, Angers, Leeds/Bradford and Newcastle are some of the destinations these airlines fly to.

Various charter airlines offer flights from Southampton Airport during the summer and winter holiday seasons. Thomson Airways are one example; they are currently offering seasonal charter flights to Palma de Mallorca.

The airport is connected to the city centre and surrounding area via a dedicated mainline railway station, Southampton Airport Parkway. Regular services run between the stations and central Southampton as well as other locations nationwide. Two local bus companies runs services between the airport and city; the journey time is about 35 minutes. Further information is available on the airport website.

If you can’t find flights to Southampton Airport, the nearest alternative airport is in Bournemouth. If you are prepared to travel a bit further, then Bristol and London Gatwick are also within relatively easy reach.