Stansted is launching itself as London's number one hub for flights to Europe.

The airport boasts 150 direct connections to the continent - more than any other in the UK, and is hoping to highlight this fact by introducing a new marketing campaign. Entitled Fly Stansted, the initiative will run across Essex, Hertfordshire, Cambridgeshire and parts of London. 

Budget airline Ryanair has recently added new services to France and Morocco, with more routes set to be announced by the company over the coming year. Other destinations will also be bolstered by the addition of more flights, including Romania, Sweden and Czech Republic.

Stansted is hoping the extra destinations and flights, plus its new campaign will encourage more and more people to use the capital's third-biggest airport. Its managing director Andrew Harrison said: "Stansted has been one of London's best kept secrets for too long now and it's time we told passengers what they're missing out on."

Mr Harrison added that 46 million journeys are made each year by passengers within the local area, yet only 12 million take off from the airport. Bosses hope the new initiative will make more people aware of its facilities and help it take a greater share of the market.