SCOTS holiday-makers are being offered a slice of Madeira.

Jet2 is launching a new route between Glasgow and the popular Portuguese island in the summer, with flights from £75 and breaks for under £350.

The budget airline has chosen Madeira as its 23rd holiday destination since jetting out of Scotland's biggest city for the first time just two years ago.

The latest addition to the Jet2 holiday itinerary means that airline chiefs will have more than doubled their fleet of planes at Glasgow from two to five since their maiden flight from the airport in March 2011.

Just seven destinations were available from the city airport at that time.

Flight tickets to the picturesque Atlantic island, which attracts more than 1million visitors every year, went on sale today from £75 per person.

The airline's sister firm Jet2holidays is also selling holidays from £349 to the village of Canico as well as the busy port of Funchal.

The harbour there is used as a stopover by cruise liners taking passengers between Europe, the Caribbean and North Africa.

The first flights to Madeira will take off on May 26, six days after other new routes are launched by airline chiefs out of Glasgow to holiday hotspots including the Greek islands of Corfu and Zante along with more flights to Majorca and the Spanish resort of Alicante.

Jet2 chief executive Steve Heapy said: "Next year is going to be our biggest summer yet at Glasgow Airport.

"In total we'll have 650,000 seats available to top Mediterranean and Canary Island hotspots, cementing our position as Scotland's leading leisure airline serving Europe and giving even more local people the opportunity to experience our great value flights and holidays"

He added: "We're also thrilled to be expanding our destinations with the addition of Madeira.

"It is a very popular holiday spot for customers at our other bases so I'm sure it will be very successful with our Scottish travellers."

The airport's commercial director Francois Bourienne said: "This is yet further good news from Jet2.com, which recently confirmed Glasgow will be its largest Scottish base with the introduction of a fifth aircraft.

"The airline has continued to respond to passenger demand with the introduction of new routes and services, and I'm confident Madeira will prove just as popular as the other 22 destinations it currently serves from Glasgow."

gordon.thomson@ eveningtimes.co.uk