Seven new leisure routes will operate this summer, plus a positioning flight from London City airport that will permit weekend breaks in the northern capital. BA, which currently only operates to Heathrow from Manchester, will offer summer-only flights to Alicante, Malaga, Ibiza, Palma, Mykonos and Nice, with one-way fares from £49.

They will be operated by BA’s London City fleet of Embraer 190 jets and offer a two-class cabin, with two abreast seating throughout.

All the new routes will operate once a week at weekends, except Ibiza, which will run three times a week. The London City flight will operate to Manchester on Thursday evening, returning on Sunday.

BA’s return to Manchester is an about-turn for the airline under new chief executive Alex Cruz. “These are the destinations that our customers tell us they want to fly to so we look forward to a busy summer,” he said in a statement.

BA has also revealed expansion at Stansted, which is owned by Manchester Airport Group. The carrier will launch routes to Florence, Geneva and Nice this summer, plus there will be increased frequency on existing routes to Ibiza and Palma. Flights to Malaga and Faro will also resume for the summer.

All flights are now bookable, except the London City route, which goes on sale on February 21.

Stephen Turner, commercial director at Manchester airport, said: “We are pleased to see British Airways introduce new services to Manchester airport with a handful of exciting destinations.

“They offer something for both the leisure and business passenger, and I am sure the London City route will prove particularly popular with corporate travellers looking for additional connectivity with our capital.

“I look forward to the routes starting in due course, all of which continue to showcase Manchester as the UK’s global gateway for the North.”