BUDGET airline Ryanair is to return four popular holiday destination routes to Glasgow.

From next year, flights will be available to Alicante, Charleroi, Malaga and Warsaw.

The decision has been welcomed by airport bosses who said it was hoped it was 'first step' to the airline re-establishing a strong presence in Glasgow after significantly cutting routes.

It will take the total number of routes operated by Ryanair to seven.

Flights to Warsaw will commence on Monday, April 1, with Alicante, Brussels and Malaga starting on Tuesday, April 2.

Mark Johnston, Managing Director at Glasgow Airport, said: “Ryanair’s decision to bring back what were four popular routes is very welcome news indeed.

“The introduction of these services is hopefully a first step to Ryanair re-establishing a strong presence here and we are really pleased the airline recognises our position as the West of Scotland’s principal airport and gateway to the region’s huge market.

“Ryanair cited that the continued lack of movement on proposals to cut Air Passenger Duty was a key factor in the airline’s decision to significantly reduce its operation at Glasgow Airport earlier this year.

“While we rightly celebrate the return of these services in addition to the three we retained at the time, it is worth remembering that at its peak Ryanair operated a further 16 routes which supported a significant number of jobs at its Glasgow Airport base."