The introduction of a second daily Emirates flight between Stansted and Dubai has been welcomed as a “vote of confidence” in the airport.

The additional frequency will start on July 1, meaning that the carrier will have 11 daily flights to and from three London airports to its hub in Dubai.

The second daily Stansted flight will be operated by a three-class Boeing 777-300ER with six private suites in first class, 42 flat bed seats in business class and 306 in economy.

Stansted CEO Ken O’Toole said: “The announcement that Emirates is to double the capacity on its Dubai service is fantastic news for passengers and is a vote of confidence in both London Stansted airport and the east of England.

“Since day one this route has been extremely popular with passengers flying direct to Dubai but also taking advantage of the 150 onward connections available from the hub and today’s announcement is further evidence of the rising demand that exists for more long-haul services from Stansted.”

Emirates divisional senior vice president Hubert Frach said: “We are increasing capacity to London Stansted to meet steady demand from both leisure and business travellers to and from the region, as well as international student traffic to Cambridge.

“We continuously seek ways to maximise convenience and flexibility for our customers and the second daily flight combined with the optimal travel schedules will do exactly that; provide a seamless travel experience with Emirates.”

The second daily flight to Stansted brings Emirates’ total weekly flights to the UK to 140 – six services a day from Heathrow, three a day from Gatwick and Manchester, two daily from Birmingham, Glasgow and Stansted, and daily services from Newcastle and Edinburgh.