The new owners of Kent International Airport today announced the return of passenger services, which have been suspended since the collapse of budget airline EUjet last July.

Infratil Airports Europe said Kent Escapes, part of the ATOL and ABTA-bonded Seguro Travel Group, would fly to Faro in Portugal and Barcelona in Spain this summer. Daytime flights will operate every Thursday from May 25 until October 26.

Infratil, which acquired the airport in August, also runs Glasgow Prestwick airport in Scotland.

Seguro Holidays currently flies 70,000 people out of Prestwick each year, making it the airport's largest tour operator.

Thousands of passengers were left stranded when EUjet, which was based at the Manston airport, collapsed six months ago.

Services were suspended after the operator's parent company PlaneStation, which also ran the airport, filed for voluntary administration after its bankers refused to come up with any more funds to offset lower-than-expected EUjet flight numbers.

"There have been no scheduled passenger services," explained Neil Richardson of Infratil Airports Europe, adding that since last summer there had only been four scheduled landings a week for MK Airlines freight flights and "a couple of charter flights".

Newmarket Holidays will also operate summer charter flights from Kent to Italian destinations including Lake Garda and Lido Di Jesolo.