The tour operator who made airport history just over a decade ago is bringing direct holidays to the Canary Isles back by popular demand.

Freedom Travel flew holiday makers 1,753 miles to Tenerife off the west coast of Africa in 2004.

It marked a major milestone for air travel from the Isle of Man as it was the longest ever commercial flight direct from Ronaldsway.

Freedom is the Isle of Man’s leading operator of direct holidays to the sun and has been providing hassle-free holidays to the Spanish islands and Malta for the past 10 years.

Jan Wozniak of Freedom Travel said: ‘Our 2004 flight to Tenerife really was a milestone, both for Ronaldsway Airport with all the logistics of catering for a larger aircraft, and with the travelling public who were thrilled to be able to reach the Canary Isles without having to take a connecting flight.

‘This carved the way for the direct holiday packages we presently offer and that are hugely popular with holiday makers, but we didn’t forget about this historic flight and we have been negotiating for a long time to get Tenerife back onboard.’

Freedom Travel is offering weekly flights to Tenerife over the Easter holiday period next year. Flight times are just over four hours and the travel agency has chartered a Boeing 737 for extra passenger comfort.

Jan said: ‘We are flying weekly from Good Friday, every Friday in March and April to cover the Easter holidays which is great news for families. Prices start from less than ?625 which is fantastic value. As usual, we’re offering all the benefits of direct flying to our customers – but this time with the opportunity to go a bit further afield.’