Airline Virgin Atlantic has announced detailed expansion plans at Gatwick Airport.

Sir Richard Branson's airline will add extra flights and increase the number of business class seats on journeys to several North American cities from the summer.

The plans follow an announcement made by Virgin in December, which stated the firm intended to create 1,700 jobs at Gatwick and Heathrow.

The airline said it would expand its Heathrow and Gatwick fleet, taking on at least 1,000 new cabin crew and more than 250 pilots. Another 450 people will be recruited as airport staff, ground crew, in the reservations and administration departments and the company's holiday business.

The airline's plans have softened the blow for 1,000 British Airways workers who will lose their jobs at Gatwick during the next two years.

Last night a spokeswoman for the company said: "Last year 1.6 million passengers flew with us in and out of Gatwick, which is a 35 per cent increase on the previous year. We expect this figure to increase by at least 20 per cent over the course of 2001.

"All of this is good news for the area. New routes, more services and a larger fleet will all mean a boost to the local economy and new job opportunities."

An airline spokeswoman said although the jobs were part of the 1,700 announced last year, the expansion would increase employment at the airport.

He said: "The more routes we operate out of Gatwick the more it will generate more jobs in other areas like ground crew and retail. This is part of our commitment to Sussex."

Debby Bond, manager of the airport's South Terminal, said she was particularly happy about the introduction of quieter planes.