Flybe is to fill a summer flights void between Newquay in Cornwall and Southend after easyJet pulled off the route.
The regional carrier is to run three flights a week from May 16 to September 27, with tickets starting at £24.99 one-way going on sale today (Tuesday).
It will also be running twice-daily flights between Newquay and Gatwick from March 30 to October 25 in a deal with the Cornish airport.
Easyjet announced earlier this month that it was pulling out of the summer route to Southend.
Flybe chief commercial officer Paul Simmons, a former easyJet executive, said: “It was an easy decision to keep this route alive.
“Summer air services to Cornwall are an essential part of the tourism jigsaw that supports the South West’s leisure economy and Flybe is pleased to step in with an extended four-month summer season this year.
“It’s a win-win for everyone and demonstrates our commitment to Cornwall and to supporting the local economy through the development of fast, frequent and affordable leisure and business travel options.”
Newquay airport managing director Al Titterington added: “We cannot overstate the importance of maintaining and developing leisure services into the county that help support the tourism economy.
“It’s critical for the region and so we’re naturally delighted that Flybe has stepped in to maintain this seasonal route from Southend.”
Starting at the same time as its new Southend flights in May will be a daily Flybe service to Birmingham, increasing to seven the number of routes it will operate in summer from Newquay. These include year-round daily flights to Manchester and Saturday flights to Belfast City, Edinburgh and Newcastle.
But Flybe has warned that it could drop its flights between Newquay and Gatwick unless the airport’s owner Cornwall Council wins a government subsidy to support it from October.
Cornwall Council subsidises the operations at Newquay by about £3 million a year.