Monarch Airlines has confirmed its schedule for summer 2012 as it moves into direct competition with established rivals easyJet and Ryanair.

While it has for decades operated as a charter airline – offering flights as part of package deals in conjunction with travel agents – the airline confirmed earlier this month it would begin offering scheduled services.

Among the new flights on offer are scheduled services to Turkey and the first ever scheduled flights to Egypt from Monarch.

Flights from Gatwick to Antalya, Dalaman and Sharm-el-Sheikh are set to form the backbone of the offering, while Monarch will also offer departures from Manchester to Sharm and Dalaman.

Commenting on the launch of the flights, Monarch Airlines managing director Kevin George, said: “We are delighted to have our Summer 2012 flights on sale so early, which provides customers with the opportunity to plan ahead and grab a great deal to their favourite sunshine destinations.

“The addition of new scheduled services to Turkey and Egypt also supports Monarch’s shift to focusing on scheduled flying and enables more customers to take advantage of our innovative ‘build your own class’ service, which gives them the ability to tailor their flight package to their exact requirements, providing a greater sense of freedom and personalisation. 

“As well as benefiting from a fantastic value fare, customers can also select from a range of optional extras such as extra legroom seating and pre-ordered meals, all of which are perfectly suited for longer flight durations such as Turkey and Egypt”.