WITH summer flights returning to Southend airport from May, Echo readers have had their say on the holiday destination they want to see added to the line-tup.

From May 1, Southend airport will resume easyJet flights to Palma, Malaga and Faro, almost two years after the budget airline giant quit the airport.

Financial pressures of the coronavirus pandemic had seen easyJet cease operations from Southend Airport, but with the aviation industry recovering from the blow, a reduced service has returned.

Echo readers are excited for the return, but many want to see more flights to destinations previously offered from the airport.

The number one destination readers called for was Alicante in Spain, with destinations such a Amsterdam and Prague also proving popular.

“Come on easyJet get Alicante flights going from Southend again,” said Southend resident Fred Watson.

Valerie Smith added: “I would love to see Alicante. Why haven’t they come back to Southend already? I know lots of people need that flight.”

Keeleigh White said: “For me it’s Amsterdam, Prague and Corfu. I’ve missed the use of my local airport.

“I often saw planes take off from home and wondered where those lucky people were going. I hope to have some more destinations by the summer.”

Other destinations frequently mentioned included Barcelona, Edinburgh, and Tenerife.

“Amsterdam was so handy. 30 minutes in the air and you were there from Southend,” Drew Gibson said.

EasyJet is the only airline offering summer flights from Southend this year, after Wizz pulled plans for summer to Malaga, Turkey and Sicily in March.

Glyn Jones, CEO of Southend Airport, is “delighted” easyJet flights will resume from the airport, adding the three-destination line-up reflected passengers’ most wanted holiday flights.

“Portugal, specifically Faro and the stunning coastline of the Algarve, was second only to our Spanish destinations such as Malaga and Palma as a ‘most wanted destination’ in a recent survey of people living in London and the east of England,” he said.

“We look forward to welcoming passengers traveling to such hugely popular destinations this summer through our award winning and easy airport.”