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Izmir, the Pearl of Turkey, to quote a local tourist guide, is the newest destination on offer from Gatwick Airport. The flight was added by budget carrier, easyJet, on May 14 2011.

EasyJet, sporting colours that would make a beach ball blush, is one of the largest carriers at Gatwick, offering flights to more than ninety cities in Europe, the Middle East, and the Mediterranean. The airline’s flight to Izmir joins four other destinations in Turkey, namely, Antalya, Dalaman, Bodrum, and Istanbul, on easyJet’s summer schedules.

Airline chief, Paul Simmons, said that Izmir is popular with “year-round sun seekers”. The resort is located within the archaeologically significant area of Anatolia, on the shores of the Aegean Sea. “As one of the most popular tourist cities in the country, it is a perfect holiday choice”, explained Mr. Simmons. The city’s sights include the Izmir Clock Tower, built from marble at the turn of the 20th century, and Izmir’s ‘historic centre’, Alsancak, home to the oldest railway station in Turkey.

Online booking service, Opodo, claims that easyJet will soon supplement its Gatwick schedules with a further three flights to European destinations. Verona and Catania in Italy, and sunny Aberdeen in Scotland, will be the sixth, seventh, and eighth new route to be added by easyJet at Gatwick in 2011. Flights to the three destinations are already available for booking, but it is not yet clear when the routes will begin operating.

Planes bound for Izmir depart the Crawley airport twice a week, on Tuesdays and Saturdays.