New cheap flights to Spain have begun operating out of Manchester Airport, thanks to budget airline easyJet.

For the first time, holidaymakers travelling from Manchester will be able to take direct cheap flights to Bilbao. This is thanks to the new thrice-weekly service that was recently launched by the carrier.

Bilbao holidays are popular among lovers of art and culture, thanks to the city’s spectacular Guggenheim Museum and the the Bilbao Fine Arts Museum, but as the capital of the northern Basque Country, it is also the perfect spot for a city break, or as a base to strike out into the beautiful countryside and the coast.

“Bilbao is a dynamic city that offers visitors a rich culture. It is also ideally located to provide visitors with access to other popular destinations such as San Sebastian, the Pyrenees and Pamplona,” said easyJet UK commercial manager Ali Gayward.

“This new route will build upon easyJet’s presence at Manchester airport and complement the existing business and leisure destinations currently on offer.”

UK holidaymakers in the north of England will also be pleased to hear about fellow cheap fares airline Jet2.com’s announcement that it is increasing the capacity of its cheap flights to Barcelona from Manchester by 25 per cent. Additionally, the carrier has also begun selling cheap flights to Reus – a short distance south of Barcelona – for next year.

Jet2.com managing director Ian Doubtfire said: “The news means that in the last two weeks Jet2.com has announced 100,000 additional seats on 2012 flights.”

“Meanwhile, our flights to Reus give people even more flexibility, to explore the surrounding area of the Costa Daurada and the popular PortAventura theme park, as well as enabling them to get to their final holiday destination as speedily as possible.”