A fourth route to the Caribbean is being added from Birmingham Airport with Thomson and First Choice announcing flights to the Dominican Republic.

Flights to Punta Cana are among five routes being added by the airline in summer 2016, along with Agadir, in Morocco, Sardinia, Izmir in Turkey and Split in Croatia.

It means the Dominican Republic becomes the fourth Caribbean route from the city, along with Montego Bay, Jamaica, Bridgetown, Barbados and Cancun in Mexico.

It is timed with the opening of Sensatori Resort Punta Cana in May 2016.

The new Thomson and First Choice routes go on sale on the April 23.

Karen Switzer, director of aviation planning for Thomson and First Choice, said: “Adding more capacity from the Midlands and the introduction of five brand new routes demonstrates our commitment to Birmingham Airport and the local area, and following the success of similar routes across a number of regional airports, we know that the demand is there.

“Expanding access to our portfolio of destinations and hotels is a key part of our overall strategy and we hope that this move will enhance the holiday experience for our customers.”