A West Yorkshire-based leisure airline and package holidays business is set to expand its operations from Leeds-Bradford Airport next year with the launch of new services.

Jet2 and Jet2holidays will launch three new destinations for summer 2015: Antalya in Turkey, Malta and the Greek Island of Kefalonia – the first service from Yorkshire to the destination.

Jet2 will operate twice weekly flights to Antalya and weekly flights to Kefalonia and Malta from next May.

More than 35,000 extra seats will be available to the trio of resorts. In total Jet2 will offer 1.3 million seats from its base at Leeds-Bradford from where it will operate 48 routes from 2015.

The addition of more routes follows another successful year for Jet2 at the Yeadon airport from where it carried more than 1.5 million people to and from European destinations.

Steve Heapy, Jet2 and Jet2holidays chief executive, said: “Leeds is our heartland so we are always striving to bring our passengers the very best choice of holiday options direct from their local airport. I don’t think they will be disappointed with this latest trio of top European gems.

“Malta continues to grow in popularity and the addition of Antalya and Kefalonia means we now have three Turkish destinations and six Greek islands for local people to take their pick from.

“With our fantastic range, coupled with great flight times and award-winning customer service, we are confident we have the right mix to continue our growth in the region, cementing our position as the top leisure operator at Leeds-Bradford Airport.”

Tony Hallwood, airport aviation development and marketing director, said: “We are delighted that Jet2 and Jet2 holidays are continuing to expand their destination choice from Leeds-Bradford Airport. We expect that these new routes to Greece, Turkey and Malta will be popular options for Yorkshire jetsetters wishing to fly independently or for holidaymakers who want the convenience of a package holiday from their local airport.”

Flights to Antalya will operate on Mondays and Thursdays, to Kefalonia on Wednesdays and Malta on Saturdays.

l Socialites, the UK’s leading e-cigarette brand, has this week opened a retail kiosk at Leeds-Bradford Airport as part of its expansion plans as the market for e-cigarettes continues to grow. The company, which launched in 2012, has 70 UK retail outlets and is planning 40 more kiosks this year.

Andrew Payne, Socialites director, said: “We are thrilled to be able to offer our customers, across the UK, greater accessibility to buy our products. With the introduction of our new airport kiosks, there’s now no reason for ex-smokers and those trying to quit, to fall of the wagon while they are away, be that on business or on holiday.

“The expansion also reflects our ever increasing popularity among e-cig users, and we are proud to be able to meet their needs”