Article from BTNews 6 MAY 2019
Doncaster's Dreamliner day
It wasn’t a business-travel occasion, but celebrations at Doncaster Sheffield Airport (DSA) on Saturday to mark the start of long-haul flying to the US were significant for highlighting the growing value to airlines of regional capacity.
The event saw holiday operator TUI launch its new TUI Airways Boeing B787 Dreamliner flight from DSA to Orlando Sanford, Florida. The airline was the first UK operator of the Dreamliner.
TUI marked the milestone with celebrations for passengers including a Disney-themed party and one customer winning a £2,000 TUI holiday voucher. DSA aviation development director Chris Harcombe described it as “a momentous day for the airport”.
TUI says the weekly flight is part of a deliberate strategy for passengers across the UK to fly from local airports. The new route was big news in the Doncaster Sheffield area, with TUI’s Doncaster store selling more tickets to Florida than any other in the country.
TUI had already announced a new summer 2020 route to Cancun from DSA, and followed this on Saturday by saying it was adding a further new service next year to Girona (Spain).
TUI Airways has three aircraft based at Doncaster Sheffield, flying to 27 destinations this summer with more than 165 pilots and cabin crew.
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