Budget airline easyJet has announced new direct routes from Bristol Airport to a range of European ‘hotspots’, making it easier for overseas home owners in the South West to reach popular destinations on the continent.

The new routes, which began operating last weekend, are to Gibraltar, Porto (Portugal), Bilbao (Northern Spain) and Lanzarote. Next month the airline will add two more new routes, one to Catania in Sicily and another to Zante in Greece.

Ali Gayward, UK commercial manager, said: “Bristol is our second-biggest base after Gatwick, we are expanding our services there and we intend to announce many more routes and invest more into Bristol in the near future.”

Nearly four million people travel with easyJet from Bristol Airport annually, with that number expected to grow as the roster of flights expands.