Top UK airport gets new British Airways base with budget flights to Spain, France and Italy

PASSENGERS wanting to fly British Airways from airports other than Heathrow, Gatwick, and London City have been given a welcome boost.

British Airways flights are set to return to London Stansted for the first time since the Covid-19 pandemic.

The flag carrier has confirmed that three new routes will depart from the London airport, with prices starting at £36 for a one-way ticket.

From London Stansted, British Airways will fly to Florence, Ibiza, and Nice.

The new flights will be operated by BA Cityflyer - a subsidiary of British Airways.

At present, BA Cityflyer already flies from London City Airport to nearly 30 short-haul destinations.

British Airways will become the only short-haul carrier from London Stansted to offer a business-class product.

Each of the planes will have a business class cabin (Club Europe) and an economy class (Euro Traveller).

In the business class cabin, passengers will be served a full meal with drinks from the bar.

Business class passengers will also get priority boarding, as well as additional baggage allowance, included in the price of their ticket.

British Airways flights will start operating from London Stansted in May 2024, with tickets already on sale.

Flights from London Stansted to Florence will start from as little as £41 each way, with fares to Nice costing just £43.

Passengers will also be able to purchase one-way flights to Ibiza for just £36 with the flag carrier.

The new flights went on sale on the earlier today. 

British Airways isn't the only airline opening new routes from the UK to holiday destinations in Europe.

Budget airline Ryanair is launching flights to Spain, Portugal, and Malta, from Norwich Airport.

As it stands, the airport only serves a handful of foreign destinations, which means the Ryanair expansion is great news for holidaymakers in East Anglia.

The flights will run on both Mondays and Fridays, according to the aviation website.

Ryanair is also launching flights from Cornwall Airport and Cardiff Airport, with new routes to Paris and Faro among some of those announced.

Here are some other new flight routes launching from London airports.

Earlier this month, the flag carrier also launched short holidays to bucket list destinations in America, such as New York, Miami, and Las Vegas, with breaks starting from £589 per person.