It had been 10 years since a British Airways plane took off from the runway at Bristol Airport, but Monday marked the company’s return to the airport.

The airline has launched new flights from Bristol Airport to Spanish sunspots Malaga, Ibiza and Palma as well as Florence, in Italy.

The routes will see 17,000 seats available to the four destinations this summer, with fares priced from £45 each way.

British Airways’ general manager commercial and customer Luke Hayhoe said: “We are very excited to be returning to Bristol after a 10-year gap.

“Florence is a brand new city to be served from Bristol Airport and is proving to be very popular with customers alongside our flights to three of the most sought-after Spanish destinations.”

Head of aviation at the airport Pete Downes added: “We’re very proud British Airways has chosen to come back to Bristol, further enhancing the range of flights and destinations we now offer.”

The flights will operate at weekends via a modern Embraer 190 jet aircraft, which have two abreast seating so everyone has either an aisle or window seat.