British Airways is to launch new three-times-a-day flights from London City Airport to the Bavarian beer capital of Munich next year.

The year-round flights, which start on February 16, means British Airways will offer four German routes from London City, with each-way hand baggage only fares to Munich from £59.

As well as the new service British Airways will also add extra winter frequency on the popular Berlin, Dublin and Prague routes from November 10 this year and to Geneva from December.

Return flights to Berlin will go up to 18 a week, Dublin to 38 a week, Prague to seven a week and Geneva to 16 a week from December.

Luke Hayhoe, British Airways’ general manager commercial and customer, said: “As promised we are adding more choice for our customers at London City Airport with a new route and extra frequency to four of our most popular destinations.

“The addition of Munich to our schedule complements our existing flights to Berlin, Dusseldorf and Frankfurt and means that we will be flying 82 return flights a week to Germany direct from the Docklands this winter. The new route will increase the number of British Airways’ destinations from London City Airport to 34.”

One of British Airways’ top customers, Siemens, who opened their new corporate headquarters in Munich in 2016, have welcomed the new route.

Mark Jenkinson, Cities Director at Siemens said: “This is positive news for London and its business community keen to do business in Germany. For a company like Siemens which has a significant presence close to the airport with our Crystal building, as well as being headquartered in Munich, launching regular direct flights will help encourage business growth and facilitate important customer delegations. We look forward to the route becoming operational, helping our customers and employees alike”.

The news comes after British Airways announced in August it will be adding four new aircraft to its fleet based at London City, as well as starting a new daily service to Rome and adding a fifth daily year-round service to Zurich in October.

The year-round Rome route starts on November 11, with one-way hand baggage only fares from £55.

Richard Hill, Chief Commercial Officer at London City Airport, said: “A three-times-a-day Munich service is a further commitment to London City Airport operations by our home carrier, hot on the heels of the recent Rome announcement and BA CityFlyer’s fleet investment.

“Munich is a German powerhouse for business, with Siemens a case in point for how this new route will expedite trade and investment between the cities. It is also an attractive leisure destination, evidenced right now as Bavarians and tourists celebrate the height of Oktoberfest. With the introduction of Munich to LCY’s route map, we are continuing to keep London connected to major European cities that we know passengers will love.”

British Airways’ £4.5 billion investment for customers over the next five years, also includes the installation of the best quality WiFi and power in every seat, fitting 128 long-haul aircraft with new interiors and taking delivery of 72 new aircraft.