EASYJET has announced it will begin flying to Marrakech, Sharm el Sheikh and Sofia – the capital of Bulgaria – as part of its new 2013 route launches from London Stansted Airport.

easyJet will fly year-round flights to Marrakech three times a week on a Monday, Wednesday and Friday with the inaugural flight taking off on February 15 2013. They will also operate a year-round twice weekly service to Sharm el Sheikh on a Thursday and Sunday with the first flight taking off on February 17. The new Sofia route will operate twice a week on a Tuesday and Saturday and the first flight on the February 16.

The airline will also move their larger A320 aircraft to Stansted which will have 180 seats onboard.

Welcoming the news, Nick Barton, Stansted’s Managing Director, said:“Today’s announcement is fantastic news for both easyJet and Stansted Airport and will provide passengers with even greater choice and more exciting destinations.

“We’re delighted to add Sharm el-Sheikh and Sofia to our scheduled route network for the first time and as well as seeing a welcome return of Marrakesh as we believe there is a real and significant demand for flights to these destinations.

“Stansted and easyJet have enjoyed a long and successful partnership and have already flown over 55 million passengers together. With our commitment to help passengers reach their destination on-time with the minimum of fuss coupled with easyJet’s excellent fares and great service, I’m sure these exciting new routes will prove to be very popular with passengers and a great addition to our route network.”

Flights go on sale from Thursday, November 1, at easyJet.com.