The first direct air route between Scotland and Bucharest will take off next year.

Wizz Air will schedule two weekly flights between Glasgow and the Romanian capital from May 2016.

The airline established a base at Glasgow two years ago and the flights to Bucharest will take the number of destinations it serves to eight, with current flights to five Polish cities, Budapest and Vilnius in Lithuania.

The new route follows recent announcements about direct flights to Montreal and Toronto from Glasgow Airport.

Paul White, business development manager at the airport, said: "This is yet further good news from Wizz Air which has gone from strength-to-strength since its arrival at Glasgow Airport two years ago.

"We are looking forward to working with Wizz Air to ensure the success of this exciting new route."

Glasgow business leaders believe the link with Bucharest will strengthen ties between the cities.

Scott Taylor, chief executive of Glasgow City Marketing Bureau, said: "As the first direct route from Romania to Glasgow, Wizz Air's new Bucharest service will provide a real opportunity to strengthen cultural and business ties between both cities - linking Glasgow to one of Eastern Europe's main industrial centres and transportation hubs.

"Glasgow is constantly striving to grow its air links and connect the city to the global marketplace."

The announcement comes as Virgin Atlantic launched its new service from Glasgow to Las Vegas today.

The September and October flights will take more than 400 passengers to Nevada each week.

Steven Marshall, marketing manager at Glasgow Airport, said: "This is fantastic news for Scottish travellers. Las Vegas is considered the entertainment capital of the world and is an extremely popular destination - this new route from Virgin Atlantic is sure to be popular with our customers.

"We are very proud to have a strong brand such as Virgin Atlantic operating from Glasgow Airport. The airline's Florida service has grown in popularity every year since launching in 2007 and we are confident Las Vegas will prove to be equally successful."