London Stansted’s first ever scheduled flight to Moscow took to the skies earlier with the launch of a new direct service by Russian carrier Ural Airlines.

The airline will connect passengers from across London and the east of England to the Russian capital’s Domodedovo airport four-times a week using an A320 aircraft.

The route will offer a business and economy class service on board the 160-seat plane.

One-way fares start from £23.

Aboudy Nasser, London Stansted chief commercial officer, said: “We’re delighted to welcome Ural Airlines to London Stansted, another new airline recognising the fantastic opportunity the airport provides to connect with one of the UK’s most successful and fastest growing regions, and another destination to add to our already extensive route network.

“This exciting new service will provide convenient and cost-effective direct access to Moscow from London Stansted for the very first time.

“I’m sure the route will prove to be very popular with business passengers, especially from across north and east London and the vibrant east of England, looking to access the Russian capital as well as leisure passengers keen to explore the amazing history and sights of this world-famous city.”

Ural Airlines is one of Russia’s leading airlines serving nearly ten million passengers a year across 200 destinations with a fleet of 46 aircraft.

Kirill Skuratov, Ural Airlines chief commercial officer, said: “Ural Airlines is very excited to be coming to London Stansted and providing great value flights four times a week to the great city of Moscow.

“We look forward to working with Stansted Airport to make this new partnership a great success and we hope the route proves popular with passengers and leads to further growth and more opportunities in the future.”