British Airways is to start flying from Stansted Airport this summer, it was announced today.

From May 28, the airline will launch flights to the popular holiday destinations of Faro, Malaga, Palma and Ibiza, with the routes being operated by British Airways subsidiary BA City Flyer.

Luke Hayhoe, 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.”

It will be the first time that BA-branded passenger flights have operated from Stansted although the airport is already the UK hub for IAG Cargo, the freight division of BA’s parent company, International Airlines Group.

Stansted was also formerly the main base for Go, the budget airline which was launched as a subsidiary of BA in 1998 and acquired by easyJet in 2002.

Andrew Harrison, managing director at Stansted Airport, which is part of the Manchester Airports Group (MAG), 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.”

BA is the biggest name yet to start flying from Stansted since the airport was acquired by MAG from the former BAA group in 2013.

Other new scheduled airline customers have included SAS, Flybe and Eurowings, with long-haul charter operators Thomas Cook and Thomson having also signed up.

The launch of the new British Airways flights means that BA will be operating from four different London airports, with Stansted joining Heathrow, Gatwick and London City.

All four of the new Stansted routes will feature 98-seat Embraer 190 jets, which are usually based at London City Airport, and will offer a choice of two cabin standards, Club Europe and Euro Traveller.

As with other BA flights, the services will also include free seat selection and on-line check-in 24 hours before departure, and complementary refreshments and drinks on board. Fares will start from £49 each way based on a return fare with hand baggage only, inclusive of all taxes, fees and charges.