Air Wales chairman Roy Thomas - new flights are important for Wales

The flights will link Cardiff to Newcastle, Liverpool and Plymouth.

The company says the three new direct domestic air links will prove attractive to both sectors and will form part of the airline's strategic development plan to link Wales with business hubs throughout the UK and Europe.

The daily return services, which will launch on December 8, will be predominantly targeted at the business traveller, but have also been priced to appeal to holidaymakers.

The 1 hour 20 minute flight to Newcastle and the 45-minute flight to Liverpool will both operate a fixed fare of �49 (excluding taxes), all using a 48-seat ATR-42 aircraft. Flights for the 30-minute journey to Plymouth will start at �29 (excluding taxes).

We know the importance of good air links to businesses in Wales, and we're confident that this new service will receive strong support Air Wales chairman Roy Thomas

These services - which increase Air Wales' direct destination portfolio from Cardiff to seven - will provide the only air link between Wales, Liverpool, the north east England and Plymouth.

Air Wales becomes the only airline to offer domestic flights to and from Liverpool and it also runs direct daily services to Dublin, Cork, London City, and is soon to launch a Cardiff to Brussels service

Air Wales chairman, Roy Thomas, said: "We're delighted to be launching these important new services from Cardiff Airport.

"We know the importance of good air links to businesses in Wales, and we're confident that this new service will receive strong support from travellers and open up countless opportunities for business in the area.

"Air Wales is a rapidly expanding airline and we are committed to increasing the portfolio of regional destinations we serve. We look forward to working in close partnership with Cardiff Airport to making a success of these important new services.

"However, this route isn't just about business, we also anticipate it'll become popular for holiday makers wanting to get away for a short break.

Both Liverpool and Newcastle have become extremely popular weekend destinations over the last few years and our new service means a weekend in either city will be available in only a very short flying time from Cardiff."

Cardiff International Airport's managing director, Jon Horne, said: "These developments herald the beginnings of an 'Air Wales hub' at Cardiff International Airport, and open up a range of new destination opportunities for business and leisure travellers alike.

A 48-seater ATR-42 aircraft will operate on the new routes

"Reconnecting Cardiff with the North East is very welcome and had been one of our objectives for some time. Links to Liverpool also open up opportunities for people in north Wales to access Cardiff and the south.

"Creating Cardiff's first-ever link with Plymouth offers people throughout the south west a new range of air service connections. All of the new destinations enable air travel to provide the swift answer to long and tedious road or rail journeys."

The new service is part of a continued programme of expansion for Air Wales, founded four-and-a-half years ago and which has launched several new routes over the last year,

This includes the first London to Wales scheduled service for more than 35 years, which has been running from April 2003, the first ever Swansea to Amsterdam route and, more recently, scheduled services between Wales and Brussels.