British Airways has seen a massive increase in passenger numbers at London City Airport as travellers seek to escape the worst of the British summer.

This year the airline has carried nearly 60 per cent more customers to sunshine destinations from the Docklands airport compared to last year.

The combination of poor British weather, an exciting new schedule of popular leisure destinations, low fares and a brand new fleet of aircraft are seen as the key factors in attracting new customers.

Luke Hayhoe, general manager commercial BA CityFlyer, said: “We first introduced leisure flights to Mallorca and Ibiza last year and they proved so popular we extended the season and brought them back this year. We also introduced year-round flights to Faro and Malaga this year giving customers the option of some winter sun destinations as well.

“We are obviously delighted with the number of people choosing to flying with British Airways from London City and hope the trend continues into next year.”

This summer the airline added extra flights to Palma, Ibiza and Nice to meet demand from passengers.