Budget airline EasyJet will run a new direct route from London to Bulgaria from November, it has announced.

The airline said that the new route, which is one if seven unveiled to destinations also including Romania and Poland, reflects the airline's "continued commitment to growth in Central Eastern Europe".

Flights will run three times a week from Gatwick to the Bulgarian capital Sofia.

Property investors in Sofia and also London will profit from the new route, one expert has claimed.

Lance Nelson, MD of Bulgarian property agent Jet2Let, told Easier.com: "Bulgaria entered the European Union in January 2007 it was only a matter of time before the larger budget airlines such as easyJet moved into the market."

He added that apartments in the city had starting prices "as low as £40,000" and that capital gain for the first half of 2007 was reported at ten per cent with rental income at eight per cent for a one-bedroom property.

Easier said that Sofia has become a popular regional headquarters for many international companies and had a young and well educated population with good IT skills.