THANET council has welcomed plans by EUjet to fly to 22 European destinations from Kent International Airport Manston as a great boost for the area's economy and tourism sector.

The company plans to operate business, leisure and ski routes from the airport to a range of destinations, including Amsterdam, Madrid, Prague, Palma, Malaga and Geneva.

Council chief executive Richard Samuel said: "These routes will bring benefits to Thanet on two fronts. Firstly, the new routes will provide an excellent boost to our local economy, bringing new jobs into the area for local people and creating a knock-on effect on local service industries.

"Equally, the flights will open up new commercial opportunities for our tourism industry and Thanet Council has already moved to capitalise on that, with plans to open a Visitor Information Centre at Manston on a six month trial basis.

"We will be working closely with the airport and various tourism organisations to promote not only Thanet, but also East Kent and the whole county to all those who come into the country via Manston.”