A twice-weekly easyJet service to Sofia began on Sunday, opening up the Bulgarian capital as a city break destination from the Essex airport, with one-way fares from £25.

Moldova’s Flyone will start a twice-weekly service to Chisinau on July 19 next year, operating on Tuesday and Friday. Flyone is a privately owned Moldovan airline that launched in 2016 and Southend will be its 12th route.

The tiny country was known as the wine basket of the former Soviet Union. It is still a big wine producer and around a dozen vineyards are within a 90-minute drive of the capital. Almost all of the country can be reached on a day trip from Chisinau.

Glyn Jones, chief executive of Stobart Aviation, Southend airport’s owners, said: “London Southend is delighted to welcome Flyone passengers to our rapidly growing airport. Passengers will be able to take advantage of our fast and efficient terminal and excellent transport links, including a train station next to the airport offering regular trains to the centre of London in under an hour.”