A NEW low-fare airline which is set to become the first to operate from Birmingham Airport has brought a welcome jobs boost to East Lancashire.

MyTravel Group launched MyTravelLite last week and began taking bookings at its new Accrington call centre on Monday.

The venture, which has created 30 jobs at the town's Globe Centre, is the latest for the MyTravel empire. It began when David Crossland opened a travel agents in his home town of Burnley.

The company, then Airtours, later grew from headquarters in Holcombe Road, Helmshore, before moving a major part of the operation out of Rossendale and into multi-million pound purpose built offices in Rochdale. But with MyTravelLite, the group hopes to take on the likes of EasyJet, Go and Ryanair, which have taken a large slice of the air market since launching no-frill flights.

So far, company bosses say they are pleased with demand as bargain hunters snap up cheap fares to Paris, Geneva, Alicante, Malaga and Belfast.

The firm will begin flying out of Birmingham on October 1 and has plans to expands to other bases in the country next year.

It could lead to an increase on the 30 jobs already created for the new airline in the company's base at Accrington's Globe Centre.

The airline expects 70 per cent of bookings will be made via its new internet site www.MyTravelLite.com. Calls to the Accrington centre will come from the UK, France, Switzerland and Spain.

Tim Jeans, managing director, said: "MyTravelLite will offer the lowest fares to the most popular destinations on comfortable aircraft."

MyTravelLite has revealed that the first scheduled flights will start on October 1 with prices as low as £19 one-way, including taxes.

MyTravelLite will initially operate two Airbus 320 aircraft to five destinations from Birmingham.

Unlike its rivals, however, the firm plans to offer more than just basic no-frills flights.

Meals will be available on board, as well as pay-per-view television.

Mr Jeans said: "MyTravelLite has a unique operating model which delivers low operating costs while ensuring high standards of on-board service and reliability.

"Aircraft and crews are supplied by MyTravel Airways, one of the UK's largest leisure airlines.

MyTravelLite will be the first UK-based low fares airline to operate the Airbus 320.

With 180 seats, the aircraft offers the most cabin space per passenger, guaranteeing more comfortable flights and less congestion during the airline's rapid airport turnarounds.