Turkish carrier Freebird has started serving Antalya from Manchester airport.
The scheduled service resumes a plan that was initially due to commence in 2020 following the failure of Thomas Cook but was delayed because of Covid.
Flights from Manchester to Antalya will increase to twice weekly from May 25.
The launch of Gatwick services follows on May 24 with four flights a week to Antalya and two a week to Bodrum.
Manchester airport interim managing director Ian Costigan said: “We’re delighted to welcome Freebird to Manchester airport, and it’s great we are the airline’s first scheduled flight in the UK.
“Antalya is an incredibly popular destination with passengers in our vast catchment area and I am sure many of them will welcome the extra choice and flexibility Freebird will bring on this route.”
The airline’s contracts manager, Osman Kinali, said: “This is the first step into the UK market with our new schedule service model which complements our existing charter services which have operated successfully for many years.”
Carl Denton, handling UK sales for Freebird, added: “This is a great start to exciting times for Freebird and we look forward to further route launch announcements very soon.”