Ryanair has announced its first Polish route from Dublin with a new service to Lodz starting in April.

The airline has denied the latest route is the beginning of a major expansion plan for Dublin. Ryanair said Lodz was the second-largest city in Poland and seats would be available one way for €9.99. It expects about 20,000 passengers to fly on the new service in its first year of operation.

Aer Lingus already offers several services to Polish cities from Dublin. Among its destinations are Warsaw and Krakow. Lodz is about 100 miles south-west of Warsaw.

Ryanair is already serving Lodz from two British airports - London-Stansted and Nottingham-East Midlands.