Hovertravel Added 156 Extra Flights During Busy July

Hovertravel added 156 extra flights to its timetable in July as passenger numbers increased between the Isle of Wight and Portsmouth.

The additional services represented a 16 per cent increase in scheduled flights and included the new services between Ryde and Lee-on-the-Solent.

Overall passenger numbers were 10 per cent higher than in July last year.

Hovertravel says the extra flights helped provide more capacity and flexibility for commuters, business travellers, holidaymakers and people visiting friends and family.

The company operates the world's longest-running commercial hovercraft service, with journeys between Ryde and Southsea taking less than ten minutes.

Loretta Lale, Head of Marketing at Hovertravel, said the company had been able to increase services as more people chose to travel with them.

She said the additional flights had helped make travelling across the Solent easier and given customers more choice when planning their journeys.

Demand has also been strong for Hovertravel's special services between Ryde and Lee-on-the-Solent.

The operator says extra dates have been added twice because of demand, with those additional sailings also selling out.

Hovertravel says it will continue to monitor travel patterns and adjust its timetable where possible to respond to customer demand.