BRAND new routes and services are set to bring more jobs to Bournemouth airport.

Ryanair has announced the launch of a new winter base at the airport as well as a new route to Krakow and three new winter services to Faro, Gran Canaria and Malta.

The company now expects to serve 450,000 customers every year, an increase of 70,000 and will support 335 jobs.

They now have seven routes in total.

Ryanair is also celebrating 20 years at Bournemouth Airport, where it has carried more than six million customers since its first flight departed in May 1996.

In Bournemouth, Ryanair’s Director of Route Development, Kate Sherry said: “We are pleased to launch a new winter base at Bournemouth with one based aircraft, as well as a new twice weekly route to Krakow and three new winter services to Faro, Gran Canaria and Malta, as part of our Bournemouth winter schedule which will help deliver over 450,000 customers p.a. and support 335 jobs at Bournemouth Airport, as we grow our traffic 19 per cent.”

Managing Director of Bournemouth Airport, Paul Knight Said: "Today's announcement is great news for Bournemouth Airport, our customers and our staff.  We have built up a good working relationship with Ryanair over the past 20 years and we are delighted to see that they are marking this anniversary by extending their winter programme and adding a new route to Krakow. This means there will soon be even more destinations people can travel to from our airport and more people from across Europe will be visiting our great area."