TENS of thousands of tickets have been sold for flights out of Kent International Airport as it gears up for a jobs and passenger boost.

Six weeks before low-cost carrier EUJet launches its first scheduled services out of Manston, managing director Mike Halper said bookings were ahead of expectations.

The first flight will take off from KIA on September 1. Four routes will be served initially, building up to 22 by Christmas.

There will eventually be 60 arrivals and departures every day by Fokker-100 aircraft carrying up to 108 passengers. The first flight will leave at 6.15am, the last at 10pm.

At a news conference held in the airport terminal, Mr Halper was not prepared to disclose the precise number of bookings "for commercial reasons". But he said it ran into "tens of thousands".

He said: "Our bookings have greatly surpassed our expectations. We are very pleased and encouraged with what's transpired in terms of our booking position."

Early bookings had come mainly from Thanet residents, but they were now coming from across the county and beyond.

Mediterranean destinations are proving popular, with strong demand for Prague. Business bookings to Manchester, Edinburgh, Dublin, Milan and Copenhagen are expected to pick up nearer launch day.

EUJet has already recruited 60 cabin crew in Kent, and Mr Halper said it would need a further 90 staff by October, building up to a full complement of 200 by March.

He was delighted with how things were going at the airport and was confident that passengers would have "a hassle-free experience".

PlaneStation, the owner of KIA, is investing £3m in terminal improvements in the run-up to September 1. They include an enlarged check-in hall, advanced baggage screening system, cafes, VIP lounge, "kiddie's corner", and duty-free shop.

A new car park covering 15 acres will accommodate 2,000 cars. There is land for a further 2,000 cars as the service develops. PlaneStation will charge passengers £5 a day to park their vehicle, or £20 a week.

Airport director Alastair Robertson said everything would be ready for launch day. Now it was concentrating on training existing staff and recruiting 100 new people over the next few weeks. They will include air traffic control assistants, firefighters, security staff, baggage-handlers and customer services staff, boosting the total airport workforce to more than 200.

He said: "This is a tremendous step forward for the airport and our team have responded with enthusiasm and commitment of the challenge of meeting tough deadlines.”

He accepted that local roads around the airport were not good enough and PlaneStation was talking to Thanet council and Kent County Council about upgrading roads.

"Road systems will need attention as business develops,. We are in discussion with the local authorities about how that may be achieved.”