The launch of the new route was postponed, following a delay in the application for an operating licence. The airline has been working closely with the Turkish authorities and will now be operating a three times weekly service throughout August (on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays), increasing to daily from 4 September.

The timetable is as follows:

• London Luton Airport to Sabiha Gokcen International; departing at 0615 - arriving at 1210
• Sabiha Gokcen International to London Luton Airport; departing at 1235 - arriving at 1435

Seats are on sale from today, with fares from £30.99 one way.

This is the second easyJet route to Istanbul, following the launch of flights from Basel on 29 May 2006.

Philippe Vignon, easyJet Commercial Manager for Turkey commented

" Istanbul is the only city in the world that embraces two continents - Europe and Asia and is a spellbinding combination of past and present. Once the capital of three successive empires – the East Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman - the city has unique historical and cultural traditions with a captivating array of attractions including bazaars, palaces, sights of natural beauty and the World famous Hagia Sophia and Blue Mosque.

easyJet is delighted to be launching this new route this fantastic city, and would like to thank the Ministry of Transportation of the Republic of Turkey, the Director General of the Turkish Civil Aviation and the British Embassy for their support."