Stansted airport has hosted its first ever scheduled flights to Moscow with the launch of a new direct service.

East Anglian Daily Times: Ural Airlines flight crew with Neringa Ohrstrom (left), Stansted�s head of marketing, and Maddi Broadbent (right), Stansted aviation account manager Picture: TONY PICKUral Airlines flight crew with Neringa Ohrstrom (left), Stansted�s head of marketing, and Maddi Broadbent (right), Stansted aviation account manager Picture: TONY PICK (Image: Tony Pick)

Russian carrier Ural Airlines will fly passengers to the Russian capital's Domodedovo airport four times a week using an A320 aircraft. The 160-seat aircraft includes a business and economy class service, with one-way fares starting at £23.

Ural Airlines serves nearly 10 million passengers a year across 200 destinations with its fleet of 46 aircraft.

Its chief commercial officer Kirill Skuratov said they were "very excited" to be coming to Stansted.

MORE - Could compostable bags become new norm at airport security?"We look forward to working with Stansted Airport to make this new partnership a great success and we hope the route proves popular with passengers and leads to further growth and more opportunities in the future."

Stansted's chief commercial officer Aboudy Nasser said the airport was delighted to add another destination to its "already extensive" route network.

"This exciting new service will provide convenient and cost-effective direct access to Moscow from London Stansted for the very first time," he said.

"I'm sure the route will prove to be very popular with business passengers, especially from across north and east London and the vibrant east of England, looking to access the Russian capital as well as leisure passengers keen to explore the amazing history and sights of this world-famous city."