Hovertravel added 156 extra flights to its timetable during July as passenger numbers increased by 10% compared with the same month last year, the cross-Solent operator has revealed.
The additional flights between Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight, alongside new services to Lee-on-the-Solent, represented a 16% increase in scheduled services during the busy summer period.
Hovertravel says the expanded timetable was introduced to provide extra capacity as demand increased, covering journeys made by commuters and business travellers as well as holidaymakers, day-trippers and those visiting friends and family.
The company operates between Southsea and Ryde, with the cross-Solent journey taking less than 10 minutes.
Loretta Lale, Head of Marketing at Hovertravel, said:
“Our priority is always to make sure we have the right level of service for our customers, particularly during our busiest times of the year. As more people chose to travel with us in July, we were able to add 156 extra flights to provide additional capacity and greater flexibility.
“Whether customers were commuting, heading off on holiday, visiting family or enjoying a day out, the extra services helped make travelling across the Solent easier and gave people more choice when planning their journeys.
“We have also seen fantastic demand for our special flights between Lee-on-the-Solent and Ryde. Interest has been so strong that we’ve added extra dates twice, with those additional sailings also selling out. It demonstrates the value customers place on having more travel options and convenient connections.
Article continues below this advertisement “We’ll continue to review travel patterns and, where possible, adjust our timetable to make sure we’re providing the service our customers need.”
Hovertravel says the additional services form part of its approach to responding to passenger demand and maintaining a frequent connection across the Solent.
