British Airways is to start flying from Stansted Airport this summer to the popular holiday sunspots of Faro, Malaga, Palma and Ibiza.

The flights, which begin on May 28,  will be operated by the wholly owned British Airways subsidiary BA CityFlyer on 98-seat Embraer 190 jets. Fares start from £49 each way based on a return fare with hand baggage only, inclusive of all taxes, fees and charges.

Stansted MD, Andrew Harrison, said: “I am delighted to welcome British Airways to Stansted and very much look forward to the launch of its first ever scheduled flights from the airport in May this year.

“Since we acquired Stansted, our focus has been on attracting a wider choice of airlines and these new services to Faro, Malaga, Palma and Ibiza are strong additions to our route network, which now covers over 170 destinations across Europe and North America.

“I’m sure these routes will be very popular with passengers from across London, Cambridge and the growing east of England region who are looking to head off on their holidays. We look forward to working closely with British Airways to build a strong working relationship and ensure these new flights are a huge success.”

Luke Hayhoe, British Airways’ general manager commercial and customer at BA CityFlyer, said: “This is a fantastic opportunity for us to expand our London network and to give our customers even more choice of where to fly from this summer.

“Stansted is a growing airport and we will be offering a full scheduled service to some of the most popular European holiday destinations, complementing our existing services from other London airports.”