Ryanair launches first new route from Birmingham

Ryanair launched the first of a number of new routes from Birmingham Airport on April 1st, to Girona in north-eastern Spain.

The first passenger on this new connection, which will operate three times a week, was Alison Smith, who was presented with a bottle of champagne at the airport and free Ryanair flight vouchers.

Another new Ryanair service from Birmingham, to Pisa in Italy, commenced on April 2nd and these two routes are expected to bring an additional 80,000 passengers through the airport in their first year.

Rachel Nicholson, the airline's sales and marketing executive, said: "We were delighted to announce Birmingham as Ryanair's 25th base in January and now it will be a very exciting time to see the routes launching one after the other.

"Barcelona (Girona) and the Costa Brava is a great holiday destination with a range of proposals in terms of sights, entertainment, sport, culture and cuisine…Pisa also has lots to offer and will always be a great choice for a holiday getaway."

The new flights to Girona and Pisa are the first of 20 new destinations due to be launched by Ryanair from Birmingham this year.

Other new flight locations will include Oslo, Stockholm, Marseille and Porto.