AN Essex airport has announced additions of a number of new European routes to its services.

Stansted is introducing new flight routes for the summer, which will launch later this week.  

Jet2 will launch two new city break destinations, with flights to the capital cities of Greece and Italy.

Flights to Athens and Rome will launch on Thursday, March 30.

It comes as Widerøe, the largest regional airline in Scandinavia, started a twice-weekly service to Bergen, a southwest coast town in Norway known for the mountains and fjords.

Echo: The Widerøe Embraer E190-E2 aircraft will be taking passengers to Norway twice a weekThe Widerøe Embraer E190-E2 aircraft will be taking passengers to Norway twice a week (Image: Stansted Airport)

Ryanair has also launched three-times-weekly services to Newquay from Sunday, March 26.

Several new routes will begin in the coming weeks, including flights from Ryanair to Belfast, Edinburgh, Asturias, Klagenfurt, and Leipzig.

Furthermore, Emirates will operate a second daily flight to Dubai from May 1.

London Stansted’s head of brand and marketing, Neringa Ohrstrom, said: "London Stansted served over 23 million passengers, and with more new routes joining the departure boards, we’re set for a very busy and exciting summer.    

"The weekend marked the start of the summer season for the industry, and we were delighted to launch two brand new routes.

"While Stansted is the leading airport in the UK for connections to Europe, it’s also really exciting to be expanding our long-haul network even further with a second daily flight to Dubai in May."

Rome boasts landmarks such as the Colosseum, Trevi Fountain and the Pantheon.

It is the third most visited city in Europe and the fourteenth worldwide.

It attracts visitors from all over the world who come to discover the city’s monuments and archaeological sites, and renowned cuisine. 

Athens landmarks include the Acropolis of Athens, Zappeion Hall, Monastiraki, Aerial view from Lycabettus and Athens Olympic Sports Complex.