A NEW Yorkshire-based airline offering low-cost flights to popular destinations is set to take off in the spring.

The new airline, Planet Air, is due to start at Leeds-Bradford Airport, offering a flight-only service to Malaga, Alicante, Faro and Tenerife.

Its backers say the emphasis will be on cheap, but comfortable, flights, at low prices with maximum flexibility, to accommodate the individual needs of passengers. It will be using a 167-seater aircraft, and will initially fly to Malaga four times a week, Faro twice a week, and Alicante and Tenerife once a week.

They say all the flights will coincide with the principal change-over days for villa-apartment holidays, and that passengers will enjoy luxury leather seats, convenient travel times and individual leg room of 31 inches - while one-way flights to both Malaga and Faro will start from under £50 next spring.

Two Yorkshire brothers, Mike and Philip Firth, are behind the new venture.

Philip, who is managing director, has been involved in the holiday and travel business for more than 30 years - including three as head of marketing and business development at Leeds-Bradford Airport.

He said about two million people a year flew from the region to holiday destinations. "We are confidently expecting to carry more than 60,000 passengers a year," he said.

Updated: 12:13 Thursday, January 02, 2003