British Airways to launch flights from Stansted

From May 28, BA will commence services to the popular Spanish holiday destinations of Ibiza, Palma de Mallorca and Malaga, as well as the Portuguese city of Faro in the Algarve. The flights will operate once-weekly by the wholly owned British Airways subsidiary BA CityFlyer, the airline stated. The move will see BA, which currently flies from three London airports - Gatwick, Heathrow and London City - compete head to head with budget carriers Ryanair and Easyjet. 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.”

BA's Embraer 190 The new flights will be operated by 98-seat Embraer 190 jets, which are usually based at London City Airport. The aircraft will offer passengers flying from Stansted two classes, Club Europe and Euro Traveller. British Airways will also provide free seat selection and on line check-in 24 hours before departure, complimentary refreshments and drinks on board, and no debit card 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." Fares will start from £49 each way based on a return fare with hand baggage only.

Stansted Airport