WITH a network of new £29 flights from Southampton International Airport due to take off in the spring, the city is set to hit back at low cost flights proposed from rival south coast Bournemouth Airport.

The new routes are being established by FlyBE British European, Europe's largest independent regional airline, which is to establish a key hub at BAA-owned Southampton airport with the launch of five new scheduled routes from March.

The move will create up to 150 jobs and passengers flying from Southampton can benefit with permanently low fares from £29 one way on every route.

There will be daily services from Southampton to Milan Bergamo and Geneva; twice daily services to Dublin and Belfast City; and a minimum three daily flights to Jersey.

By next winter it proposes to add services to Barcelona and Nice and plans to operate new services to Brussels, Copenhagen, Lyons, Toulouse, Edinburgh and Glasgow.

FlyBE and its predecessor companies Jersey Euopean and British European have had a long association with Southampton airport.

Airport managing director David Cumming said: "This is a quality airline which fits in with the ethos of Southampton as a quality airport.

"Small is beautiful when it comes to a relaxing, efficient way through an airport."

Airline managing director Jim French said: "With ten million people living within 90 minutes of the airport, Southampton is an important gateway."