EUROPE'S largest regional airline Flybe will create a new base at Cardiff Airport this summer creating 11 new routes and 50 new jobs.

The new network includes flights to existing routes between Rhoose and Belfast, Düsseldorf and Jersey, plus new routes to Cork, Dublin, Edinburgh, Faro, Glasgow, Munich, Milan and Paris.

First Minister of Wales Carwyn Jones said: “Flybe’s announcement that it is opening a new base operating 11 routes from Cardiff Airport is fantastic news.

"We’ve always said that we want the airport to be a gateway to Wales, as something that will drive our economy by bringing tourists and business to the country.

"We’ve already invested in improving the overall customer experience at Cardiff Airport and the new routes to major European destinations, as well as the creation of 50 new jobs, demonstrates Flybe’s commitment to the Airport and will help to make it the success we know it can be.”

Vale AM Jane Hutt also welcomed the boost, saying: "Flybe’s announcement that it will expand its routes from Cardiff is fantastic news for passengers, the Vale and Wales."

Regional AM Andrew RT Davies however urged caution, stressing the need for the new routes to be durable.

“This is great news for the airport and will be a boost to the hardworking management and staff who are doing their utmost to build its profile," he said.

“Some caution should be exercised, however, because many of these ‘new’ routes are in fact reinstated routes which have been lost in recent years.

“The new routes must be durable and it is vital that Cardiff Airport continues to attract a wide range of attractive and cost-effective routes, not just to attract Welsh holidaymakers but to generate tourism from abroad.

“It is also vital that the airport receives moral and not just financial support from the man who should be the airport’s greatest champion - the First Minister.

“His decision to fly to America from Heathrow sent out the wrong message to the paying public. It doesn’t look good when the airport’s owner says its more convenient to travel across country, rather than use the airport on his doorstep.”