STANSTED Airport is on a high after welcoming its ninth new airline in the last 12 months.Manx2.com, the brainchild of two aviation entrepreneurs, launches its services into the airport with daily flights to the Isle of Man, starting this Saturday .

STANSTED Airport is on a high after welcoming its ninth new airline in the last 12 months.

Manx2.com, the brainchild of two aviation entrepreneurs, launches its services into the airport with daily flights to the Isle of Man, starting this Saturday .

“The new Manx2.com service will not only link the island's business communities direct to the east of England's £100billion economy, but also give islanders connections through Stansted onto its vast European and transatlantic route network across 35 countries,” said Nick Barton, business development and planning director at Stansted.

“Washington, New York, Islamabad and Karachi are some of the long-haul links to join our growing network in the past year. Toronto and Las Vegas are due to start soon, and with Turkish Airlines, daily flights linking passengers to Hong Kong, Peking, Singapore, Japan and Bangkok through their Istanbul hub, the opportunities for long-haul connections from Stansted just keep growing.

“I'm delighted to welcome Manx2.com to Stansted. I'm sure this will prove to be an extremely popular route and will further enhance our network which already connects over 160 destinations through Europe and the rest of the world.”

Fares on the new Stansted to Isle of Man service will start at £79 one way, including tax.

“Having secure, long term transport links is essential for island communities, and we have many years' experience in building strong routes to serve local people year-round,” said Noel Hayes, Manx2's chairman.

“We spotted a requirement in the Isle of Man for a strongly-financed, and well-managed small regional airline which would open up vital links for islanders. Given the scope of destinations available from Stansted, connecting our services to the airport was a critical part of our long-term plans and we are delighted to launch the service this weekend.”