Easyjet is expanding its operations

The no-frills carrier is adding three aircraft by the end of March next year to the 13 already based at the Bedfordshire airport.

Easyjet is increasing its fleet with an order for Airbus A319 jets - due for delivery between now and 2007.

The airline is also planning to launch three new routes from Luton, which already offers 22 destinations.

Details of the new routes are expected to be released in the next few weeks.

Successful market

In a separate move, the airline announced last week it is launching services from Luton to Dortmund, Krakow and Warsaw.

More than five million passengers have flown with Easyet from Luton in the last 12 months and the airline plans to increase that to more than six million during the next year.

Easyjet is also adding four routes in October and November to the 13 it runs from Berlin Schoenefeld.

The new destinations are Geneva, Krakow, Ljubljana in Slovenia and Madrid.

Chief executive Ray Webster said Luton had always offered a successful and profitable market.

"Today's announcement reflects our commitment to London and the Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire and Buckinghamshire regions," he said.