PASSENGER numbers have rocketed by almost 100 per cent in the last year at Southend Airport as bosses eye exceeding £2million fliers a year and returning to pre-pandemic heights.

Following the near collapse of the airport during the pandemic, passenger numbers plummeted from £2.1million in 2019-20, to just 150,000 in 2020-21 and just 90,00 in 2021-22 and 2022-23.

However, the airport has led a mini-revival with seven new routes announced in the last year - taking it from just three routes to 11, serving six different countries.

And that number is set to rise once again in spring next year, when easyJet re-opens its base at Southend and adds another six routes to the offering for flyers.

The airport benefited from a 93 per cent rise in customers over the last 12 months, hitting 172,068 in 2023-24, but is expecting a huge boom once the budget airline returns.

Projected passenger numbers exceed 1.1million for 2025-26, and 2026-27 is set to be the year the airport finally exceeds the numbers seen before the pandemic, according to the airports annual report.

If the airport stays on track, it is confident of hitting 2.3million in 2026-27, marking a new record and celebrating the completion of its Covid-recovery.

Marc Taylor, acting chief executive officer at Southend Airport, said: “The airport has achieved significant process during 2023-24 and has become well positioned for continue expansion and success.

“I am delighted to report on a year of significant achievement for our award-winning airport.

“We have grown passenger numbers, enabled new routes, initiated recruitment drives, strengthened our commitment to green energy and secured growth with new ownership.”

Thanks to its partnership with easyJet, last winter was Southend’s largest programme of routes since 2019 as a mix of winter sunshine, city breaks and sky holidays proving a big hit.

The return of the easyJet base is just the start for the airport, as it “actively seeks new routes and airline partners” and the team have attended a number of “airline conferences” in a bid to meet with major airlines.

“With a fast-growing population of nearly eight million people within an hour of our airport, and other London airports facing full capacity, we are ideally placed to serve airlines looking to grow their London operations,” Mr Taylor added.

“Developing London Southend is also important for the region as it breaks significant economic growth and provides more skilled jobs for people in the area.

“Our recruitment events continue to attract hundreds of people and we have built new teams ready for a soar in passenger numbers numbers which significantly increased by 93 per cent on 2022-23.

“We are expecting to be back to pre-pandemic levels by 2026-27.”

The airport has always boasted about its track record of providing jobs in the area, with 477 jobs based at the airport and 87 p[er cent of staff living in an SS postcode area.

Southend Airport is also progressing to switch to “100 per cent green energy”.

Mr Taylor added: “We are actively developing our plan to deliver Net Zero and have made notable progress. Already, 25 per cent of terminal energy usage is being met by renewable sources generated onsite from our solar farm and we are currently engaged in switching to 100 per cent green energy.

“Reducing the airport’s carbon footprint remains the highest priority and we are minimising energy consumption wherever we can.”