No wonder Philip Meeson has such a big grin on his face. With a lot of fanfare and plenty of media exposure, his Jet2 airline took to the skies just over a week ago for its inaugural destination of Amsterdam.

It was smooth and on time and its chief executive hopes, the first flight of many to head to the continent from a busy Leeds Bradford International Airport.

The Yeadon operation is bustling with scheduled services as Ryanair and bmi are well established at the airport, but now they'll have to make room for the new kid on the block.

The birth of Jet2 was announced in October 2002 with the public being asked to suggest European destinations they would like to visit. The company was inundated with replies. They have been whittled down to Malaga, Alicante, Barcelona, Palma in Spain, Nice and Italy's Bergamo airport with prices starting from £15 one way.

Most of these routes will serve holidaymakers searching for a cheap break in the sun but Jet2 is keen to promote Amsterdam and Barcelona as business destinations.

With the first flight leaving at 7am and arriving into Schiphol at 9.15 and the last flight returning to Leeds for 21.30pm, a full day's work on the continent will soon be no problem for Northern companies. Jet 2 also offers allocated seating at check-in and a priority check-in facility for travellers with hand luggage only.

Mr Meeson said: "We are offering so many hugely popular tourist destinations such as Malaga and Alicante, that our business offerings can sometimes go unnoticed. We now want to underline how important these services are to us and how beneficial they will be to the Northern business community.

"Amsterdam is a fantastic destination, not only is it a thriving commerce centre itself with excellent conference facilities, but can also serve as a hub to so many other vital European business cities.

"Of course, you could drive to Brussels or Cologne for a meeting and be back the same day, but it is also possible to reach Paris or Frankfurt - or even take onward long-haul flights.''

Other Jet2 business destinations include daily flights to Barcelona and Milan Bergamo starting on March 27 and April 11, and Nice which will flythree times a week from April 8.

Jet2 will be flying to Amsterdam twice a day and it aims to increase the frequency of all flights as demand and confidence builds.

Mr Meeson, 55, is a chief executive who really does know his product. He trained as a pilot in the RAF and was five times British Aerobatic champion from 1978. Then, with a partner, he built up a major, quality car dealership in London and vehicle distribution business.

He says Jet 2 owes its very existence to flowers - those grown in the Channel Islands to be precise.

Jet2 is controlled by Dart Group's wholly-owned subsidiary, Channel Express (Air Services), and now sits alongside the established contract passenger and cargo operations.

Mr Meeson explained: "In 1983 my private company purchased the Channel Express Group which, at that time, distributed Channel Island grown flowers to wholesale markets throughout the UK and freight from the UK into the Channel Islands.

"We flew from Guernsey to Bournemouth, which is why our head office is in Bournemouth. From that original business we streamlined the groups into two business sectors - Aviation Services and Distribution.

"Through Aviation Services, we offered both freight and passenger services on contract to other companies on charter, therefore we were already an existing airline, with all the facilities in place for setting up a low cost passenger service.''

And with that thought in mind, Leeds Bradford was to benefit.

"There were several alternatives to consider, but as a result of our research we found that Leeds Bradford was in the centre of a very good catchment area from the east and west and also from the south.''

And Mr Meeson was very impressed with what he saw at Yeadon.

"It is a very good international airport with excellent facilities. The airport management were very keen to have a low-cost airline and the public reaction was good, as people did not want to have to cross the Pennines to have access to cheap flights - or to have to drive down the ever more crowded M1 to East Midlands.

"We feel there is great scope for expansion and the current seven European destinations of Amsterdam, Alicante, Barcelona, Malaga, Nice, Palma Majorca and Milan, are only the beginning of the routes we shall eventually fly,'' he boasted.

"In the future we shall be concentrating on flying further afield, particularly to attract more business travellers, but we feel destination must have a leisure interest as well.''

Mr Meeson said Milan was a typical example of this, being a prime business destination and also firmly on the tourist map. With its first-class infrastructure it is a perfect starting point for exploring northern Italy, as well as being a fashion capital of Europe.

Mr Meeson added: "Amsterdam also fulfils the same criteria, being a wonderful city for tourists and business travellers alike - as well as being a great international airport for transiting onward across Europe and around the world.''

"It sounds rather obvious, but we intend to make sure we fly where people want to go. Some airlines just put on routes because they think they can stimulate traffic. There may be some degree of truth in that theory but we believe it is better to offer passengers the destinations they really want.''

But it is about getting the balance right.

"In order to fill all the 148 seats on our aircraft we must favour the leisure industry on many of the routes, although the Barcelona, Milan and Amsterdam destinations will probably work out at a 50 per cent split between business and pleasure,'' he added.

He claimed it is now possible to have a shopping trip to Milan or Barcelona as cheap or even cheaper, than going to London or Edinburgh - and much more exciting.

"It means people can jet away and get some sunshine very easily now, without spending very much.''

Mr Meeson said Ryanair's recent acquisition of Buzz was an indication of how well the no-frills sector is doing.

Unlike the major international airlines, the low-cost carriers have been booming despite the economic downturn and September 11.

He added: "This is a very exciting time to be in this sector - it seems demand just keeps growing.

"Considering this success from an airport which had only a very limited schedule of low cost flights before, there is definitely room for growth with the other overlooked regionals."

And Mr Meeson reckons there will be knock-on benefits for Bradford too - namely all the folk who could come to Yorkshire from the continent.

"It also means that our European neighbours can visit us inexpensively too.''

And there's that smile again.

"We are determined to continue to provide value for money, low-cost travel, coupled with excellent service with a smile, for the North of England,'' he added.