Strong demand for flights and package holidays has prompted leisure airline Jet2.com and sister company Jet2holidays to add to their schedule at Stansted – even before their first plane takes off from the airport.

Jet2 announced in September that it would start flying from Stansted on March 30, 2017, with routes serving popular destinations including Alicante, Faro and Majorca.

Due to what it described as “phenomenal” demand, has now added four more new routes, Antalya, Corfu, Dalaman and Split, and announced increased frequency on four others, to Majorca, Menorca, Crete and Zante.

As a result, Jet2 will be operating up to 96 flights a week out of Stansted during summer 2017 to 25 different destinations, rising to a total of 27 when routes planned for winter 2017-18 are included.

Steve Heapy, chief executive of Jet2.com and Jet2holidays, said: “We are delighted by the response to our London Stansted Airport launch, with our award-winning airline and fantastic package holidays having huge resonance with customers in the south of England.

“The phenomenal reaction to our launch means we are already growing our presence at London Stansted, with the addition of Antalya, Corfu, Dalaman and Split meaning that we now offer flights and holidays to 27 fantastic leisure destinations to customers across north and east London and the east of England.”

The new routes and additional flights together amount to the addition of more than 65,000 extra seats, representing an increase of 8% on the capacity previously scheduled.

Mats Sigurdson, Stansted Airport’s aviation director, said: “The announcement by Jet2.com and Jet2holidays is fantastic news for Stansted Airport and for passengers from right across the east of England and London.

“We were confident that the new Jet2 base would prove popular with passengers and this really positive start is a clear demonstration of the strength of demand that exists across the region.”