Southend Airport has responded to rumours RyanAir could be returning to the airport after the airline's app started showing flights from the city.

Eagle-eyed residents have noticed the RyanAir app's "find flights" feature added the option to find flights from Southend to the French and Spanish cities, Brest and Bilbao.

However, there are no dates to fly out or back.

When asked by the Echo whether the popular budget airline is returning to the city, a spokesman for Southend Airport has confirmed they are only flying to the four known destinations - Faro, Malaga, Palma de Mallorca and Amsterdam - with easyJet this summer.

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The spokesman says there must be a "blip" on the RyanAir app.

Ryanair closed its base at the airport from the start of the winter season in 2021.

This came after the airline had just two aircraft left in operation at the base from 2020, after a reduction driven by the pandemic.

The airline's performance at Southend Airport was "further affected" by the Covid pandemic, which led to the base being shut down.

The airport had a huge recovery last summer when easyJet returned to the airport with flights to Faro, Malaga and Palma de Mallorca.

And it has been further boosted as easyJet has announced new flights to Amsterdam are coming to the airport from May.