There are hopes that the new flights from Manston to Amsterdam, with links to an international gateway, will bring in foreign visitors and business to the Deal area.
Deal Mayor Cllr Marlene Burnham has greeted Monday’s official launch of the service by KLM as a positive one for the town.
She said: “The opportunities are there and I hope a few Dutch visitors come to our town and pass the message on that it is an excellent place to visit.
“Also, it is an awful drive to the airports at Heathrow and Gatwick, so flights from Manston have got to be good. Let’s use what we already have and that is not an airport off the coast of Deal!”
Peter Jull, chairman of the Deal and Walmer Chamber of Trade, welcomed the new links from Manston to Europe, already mentioned on the chamber’s website.
He said the arrival of KLM in east Kent would hopefully prompt people to do business in the area and added that he looked forward to Visit Kent, the official website for the Garden of England, linking Manston to promote the county as a place to visit.
Manston now offers an international gateway – via Schiphol’s hub airport – and the new service has created 42 airport jobs. About 5,000 tickets had been sold by the time Monday’s first flight took off.
Airport chief executive Charles Buchanan said on Monday: “This is a fantastic day. It’s a testament to the efforts we have put in and the belief that KLM has in the opportunity and market in Kent.
“Kent residents have an airport on their doorstep they can use for all their worldwide travel needs. A quick hop to Amsterdam and the world’s your oyster.”