The first British Airways flights from Stansted Airport will get off to a flying start this weekend with all the summer sun destinations fully booked.

Bank holiday travellers had a choice of four popular holiday spots – Faro in Portugal and Malaga, Palma and Ibiza in Spain – from Saturday, with flights to Berlin launching in June.

The flights to Malaga are already proving so popular that frequency has been doubled to two flights every Saturday during August.

It is the first time BA has operated from Stansted, now the fourth London airport on its network, and the summer-only services will run until the end of October. The flights are being operated by the wholly-owned BA subsidiary BA CityFlyer.

Luke Hayhoe, British Airways’ general manager, commercial and customer, at BA CityFlyer, said: “This is a great start to our Stansted operation with customers quick to book our inclusive competitive fares with an excellent schedule and the choice of some of the most popular summer destinations.”

Andrew Cowan, chief executive at Stansted Airport, said: “We’re absolutely delighted that every seat on the first ever British Airways flights from Stansted completely sold out this weekend.

“We were confident these new services to Faro, Malaga, Palma and Ibiza would prove popular with passengers and this really positive start is a clear demonstration of the strength of demand that exists across the region.

“We now look forward to welcoming the addition of a new Berlin service next month and working closely with British Airways over the summer to build on this strong start and ensuring these exciting new flights continue to be a great success.”