Blackpool is one of seven new routes planned by the airline

On Thursday, Ryanair unveiled the new twice-a-day service from Stansted Airport in Essex to the seaside town which will begin on 1 May.

Plans for a new route by the Irish airline from Dublin to Blackpool were announced last week.

Blackpool is one of seven new Ryanair routes.

The others include Bergerac and Rodez in France, Ostend in Belgium, Groningen in Holland, Leipzig in Germany and Palermo in Italy.

Ryanair chief executive Michael O'Leary said the airline expects to carry up to 24m passengers across the UK and Europe over the next year.

Flights currently leave Blackpool airport - which is owned by Blackpool Borough Council - for destinations across Britain and abroad, including Iceland, Spain and Italy.

Blackpool airport's managing director Garry Eastwood said: "Ryanair's new flights to London are of huge significance for a great many people who live Lancashire and the Lake District."