A BUDGET airline is to more than double the number of destinations it flies to from a North-East airport - only months after the venue's main carrier axed all its services.

Flyglobespan, which operates its first flight from a base at Durham Tees Valley Airport today, has unveiled a package of cut-price deals to tourist destinations across Europe.

The news will come as a major boost to the airport, which was left reeling by the loss of Bmibaby earlier this year.

From next year, Flyglobespan will offer flights to:

* Ibiza every Friday and Monday, starting May 25, from £34.99;

* Pula, in Croatia, every Thursday, starting June 28, from £44.99 - the first flight to the destination from the North-East;

* Mahon, in Majorca, every Saturday, starting June 30, from £39.99;

* Jersey every Saturday, starting June 30, from £24.99;

* Nice every Sunday and Wednesday, starting July 1, from £49.99.

As well as the new flights, Flyglobespan also announced it would increase the frequency of its existing flights to Alicante and Palma, during the summer season, to a daily service. Flights to Malaga will operate five times a week, starting in June.

Hugh Lang, the airport's managing director, hailed the announcement as great news for the region's travellers.

The new services are the latest in a series of additions to the flight schedule at Durham Tees Valley Airport, which was left stunned after budget airline Bmibaby axed its base in September.

Bmibaby - which cancelled six all-year-round routes and two seasonal services, despite passenger loads of between 70 and 80 per cent capacity - flew its final flights from Durham Tees Valley yesterday.

Officials immediately announced the airport would recover from the blow, and began negotiations with numerous carriers.

Since then, three budget airlines have moved in to fill the void left by Bmibaby. Several of the popular destinations axed - Alicante, Malaga, Palma, Gatwick, Paris, Cork, Jersey and Newquay - have been replaced.

Last month, web-based airline Flyglobespan set up a two-aircraft base at Durham Tees Valley, creating up to 60 jobs, and announced flights to Alicante, Faro, Palma and Malaga.

It had already announced plans to operate a service to Tenerife, which flies for the first time today.

Only days after the Bmibaby bombshell, Ryanair announced it would double its flight routes by operating a service to Barcelona.

Polish airline Wizz Air has also added a three-times weekly route to Warsaw, to help carry the region's growing eastern European workforce and numbers of visitors.

Mr Lang said the new services showed a "remarkable commitment to the area" by Flyglobespan.

He said: "The presence of a second aircraft, the new routes and increased frequencies is great news for the region's travellers.

"We are confident that the destinations Flyglobespan intend to serve will be very popular, especially with the service to Pula being the first direct service from North-East England."

Tom Dalrymple, chairman of Flyglobespan, said: "I am very pleased that we will be able to offer such a comprehensive service from next year.

"There is a really good mix of resorts available at very low prices, and I look forward to a very busy time out of Durham Tees Valley."

All routes are on sale at www.flyglobespan.com