An Oxfordshire teenage entrepreneur dubbed the "Baby Branson" was due to launch his new airline today(Monday).

Martin Halstead, 19, was set to be at Southampton Airport to lift off his Monday-to-Friday daily flights from the city to the Isle of Man.

The airline, called Alpha One, has purchased an 18-seat BAE Jetstream 31 aircraft and will lease another. The venture hopes to carry 75,000 passengers in its first year.

In March this year, Mr Halstead announced he would start the airline with flights between Oxford and Cambridge but he scrapped that idea when the Isle of Man route came up.

Fares will cost £99 one way and, if this is successful, flights from the Isle of Man to Blackpool and Edinburgh could be launched.

"Alpha One will sport a young look. It will be a ticketless airline and will offer complimentary in-flight refreshments," Mr Halstead said.

"The Isle of Man has a population of 76,000 with a huge appetite for travelling.

He added: "We don't intend to compete with any airline, but complement existing, established services. We may also revisit the Cambridge to Oxford route some time next year."

Managing director of Southampton Airport, David Cumming, said: "The route between the Isle of Man and Southampton is a key business link for many finance companies and we are pleased to offer this service to our passengers."

The teenager, who is a qualified pilot, gave up his A-Levels to start the airline after getting financial backing.

He said that despite the sceptics he would succeed.

Mr Halstead said: "Age is just a number. I plan to bring an innovative, 21st century approach to regional aviation and also have an older, experienced team to call on."