Domestic air links from Stansted to Edinburgh and Glasgow are being established by Ryanair as part of an expanded winter schedule from the Essex airport.
A total of 12 new routes are being launched in addition to increased frequency on 36 other services as the carrier renewed calls for Air Passenger Duty to be abolished.
The budget airline is to switch a Prestwick-Dublin route to Glasgow international airport to complement an existing service to the Irish capital from Edinburgh.
The move is part of the creation of a third Scottish base at Glasgow international with seven new winter routes including Bydgoszcz, Derry, Riga, Warsaw Modlin and Wroclaw.
The airline is to maintain services from Prestwick with seven winter routes to Alicante, Barcelona Girona, Gran Canaria, Fuerteventura, Lanzarote, Malaga and Tenerife.
Despite the switch of the Dublin route, Ryanair insisted it remained committed to its long-standing base at Prestwick where it has a major maintenance facility.
The airline said it was in talks with Prestwick and its new Scottish government owners “to explore growth opportunities” from the west coast airport.
The overall expansion came with a call for the London and Scottish governments to follow the lead of their Irish counterpart and abolish air taxes – irrespective of the outcome of September’s vote on independence for Scotland.
Ryanair chief commercial officer David O’Brien said: “Scotland cannot fulfil its true tourism potential until Air Passenger Duty is removed and we would urge Scotland to follow the example of Ireland, where Ryanair has launched 21 new routes and will deliver over 1.2 million new customers this year, in response to the Irish government’s welcome decision to scrap APD.
“Regardless of the outcome of the referendum, Scotland cannot unlock its full potential until APD is repealed.”
Chief marketing officer Kenny Jacobs said: “We would again call on the UK government to repeal APD to help stimulate traffic, tourism and job growth.”