The service will be another former Flybe route that the carrier has taken on at Southampton, which relied on Flybe for 90% of its scheduled services before the airline’s collapse.

Commencing with an initial daily round-trip to Dublin, frequency will rise “as demand increases”, the carrier said.

The Dublin flight joins Eastern’s other Southampton services to Belfast City, Leeds-Bradford, Manchester, Newcastle and Teesside. Eastern said there would be “further new routes” from Southampton, including weekend services, once travel restrictions are eased.

Dublin fares start from £69 one-way and include on-board refreshments plus 15kg of hold baggage.

Eastern intends to have up to five aircraft based at Southampton. 

Steve Szalay, the airport’s operations director, said: “Dublin has long been a destination in high demand by our passengers. We are delighted that Eastern Airways is opening this route from Southampton airport, once again demonstrating how crucial regional airports are in providing vital connectivity across the UK.”