UP to 1,000 new jobs are coming to Hampshire thanks to a multi-billion pound deal that will see Southampton Airport become a centre for international business travel.

Flybe has sealed a deal worth £3.3 billion for a new fleet of 140 low emission planes as part of its plans to boost its business at the airport from two million to three million passengers a year.

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The firm plans to add as many as ten new destinations to the 36 it already runs from the city, focusing on financial centres such as Copenhagen, Stockholm, Helsinki, Milan and Stuttgart.

It will also be boosting trips to other business communities that it already serves such as Paris, Frankfurt, Amsterdam and Hanover, making a total of 14 new outbound flights a day.

The massive development comes as the airport celebrates a milestone 100 years of aviation.

Flybe chief commercial officer Mike Rutter said: “This is great news for Flybe and as our largest and most important operation Southampton will benefit proportionally.

“It was a historic time for us in 2003 when we started to transform our business in Southampton and this is equally momentous.

“We will be making Southampton a hub of international business travel by introducing new destinations and increasing frequency on some of our denser flight routes while still running the bucket and spade routes that our passengers enjoy.

“It will be great for the area to be a real powerhouse for this kind of travel, this could mean 900 to 1,000 direct and indirect local jobs.”

Last week Flybe also announced a new agreement with Air France which allows customers to mix and match their journeys, increasing the routes both airlines can offer.

The firm has confirmed orders for the first 35 planes, at £850m, with an option to up this by 105 in the future.

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