Jet2 will add an extra aircraft at its new base, making a total of seven when it launches flights and packages from Stansted on March 30. The additional Boeing 737 will mean it will add twice-weekly flights to Antalya, Corfu, Dalaman and Split to its original list of 21 destinations.

The airline will also increase frequency to Majorca, Menorca, Crete and Zante, with Majorca moving to 10 a week and the others moving to four a week.

In total, Jet2 is adding 875,000 seats to Stansted, a capacity increase of 8% from its original ambitions. The carrier will offer 96 weekly flights from Stansted, where its competition is mainly from scheduled budget airlines plus Thomas Cook and Tui, which each base two short-haul aircraft there.

Steve Heapy, chief executive of Jet2.com and Jet2holidays said: “We are delighted by the response to our London Stansted Airport launch, with our award-winning airline and fantastic package holidays having huge resonance with customers in the south of England.”

Stansted will become the airline’s ninth base when it opens and marks the first time the airline and tour operator has operated from the south-east. Since September Jet2.com has started taking delivery of 30 new Boeing 737s, which will arrive by 2018 and replace its current older fleet.

Mats Sigurdson, Stansted airport’s aviation director, said: “We were confident that the new Jet2 base will. prove popular with passengers and this really positive start is a clear demonstration of the strength of demand that exists across the region.”