Ryanair's new routes out of Norwich airport will create more than 60 new jobs and bring more than 60,000 passengers through the terminal each year, the company has revealed. 

The budget airline confirmed it would begin operations at the airport for the first time, with 12 flights a week to and from Malta, Alicante, and Faro starting on April 1. 

Norwich Evening News: The new routes will begin operating from April 2024The new routes will begin operating from April 2024 (Image: NQ Staff)

The new jobs created will boost the number of people employed at the airport by around a quarter.

The company said the new routes would also bring more than 60,000 additional passengers to the airport, with return tickets currently available to Alicante from £29.99.

It added that the budget-friendly flights would be “exciting” for passengers, who it said had been “forced to pay sky high fares by the high fare carriers who dominate at Norwich Airport”.

Norwich Evening News: The new routes will begin operating from April 2024The new routes will begin operating from April 2024 (Image: Newsquest)

Ryanair’s head of communication, Jade Kirwan, said: “Our new Norwich operation will bring competitive fares and a wider selection of summer routes to our customers in Norwich and the wider Norfolk region, and also support important regional development through increased connectivity, inbound tourism, and local job creation.”

Norwich Airport currently operates flights to 18 destinations in nine countries, with connections to 150 more locations via Amsterdam. 

Journeys to Malta and the Spanish port city Alicante have been previously available with KLM and the now-dissolved Flybe, but services were cancelled shortly before the Covid pandemic. 

The airport said that although passenger numbers had fallen due to the pandemic, they had returned to around 80pc of their pre-Covid levels, and that the arrival of Ryanair was due to push that up to 90pc. 

Richard Pace, managing director of Norwich Airport, added: “Alicante, Faro and Malta are hugely popular destinations and with twice-weekly flights it means we can offer passengers even more great choices from their local airport.”