Until now, the airline has operated the route solely for cruise and tour operator packages, but from winter 2017/2018 the airline will enter the seat-only market with the addition of an extra weekly flight to the Caribbean island. It will run from December 16 2017 to March 17 2018, with return economy fares from £449.98 and Premium seats from £639.98.

The carrier is moving more towards a hybrid business model and will also start flights from Gatwick to Cape Town this winter.

The airline’s aviation director James Burrows said: ““We were the first airline to open up a direct service to Cape Town outside Heathrow, and we’re extending our seat-only offering for our southern England customers to make Barbados more accessible than ever with to those who want quality but are also cost conscious.”

“More widely, this follows our £100 million upgrade of cabins, our seventh direct route from Manchester to the USA, and the trial of our fantastic pre-order duty free service, Airshoppen. So our growth into the seat only market for customers who want quality service at an affordable price is continuing well.”