What a difference a year can make. Just 12 months ago Southend Airport only offered three routes for holidaymakers and big question marks circled over its future.
Fast forward a year and a takeover has been completed, a new deal with easyJet has been signed and the number of routes has risen to 11 – with plenty more coming soon.
Next summer, six new routes will be added thanks to the return of the easyJet base and excitement is building around the airport that it will soon return to the lofty heights seen before the pandemic.
Matt Dent, Labour councillor responsible for business, culture, and tourism, said: “It is terrific news to be soon coming up to those pre-pandemic levels.
“They suffered massively during pandemic. So, to be looking to building back before then.
“I think the more routes the airport adds the better it will do.
“The thing with the airport is it benefits two-fold, it gives people in Southend more places to go to, but it also brings people here from new and interesting places.
“So, the tourism effect works both ways, which is great.”
In May, American private equity giant Carlyle – which owns part of JFK Airport in New York, announced it had completed its takeover of the airport from Esken.
The announcement coincided with the news that an easyJet base would return to the airport after a previous base closed and routes were slashed during the Covid pandemic.
From May next year holidaymakers will be able to jet off to Tenerife and Gran Canaria in Spain, Pisa in Italy, Dalaman and Antalya in Turkey, Marrakech in Morocco, and Enfidha in Tunisia.
This is on top of the current offering of Bourgas in Bulgaria, French capital city Paris, Amsterdam in Holland, Alicante, Malaga and Palma de Mallorca in Spain, Faro in Portugal, Geneva in Switzerland, Grenoble in France, and Lapland in Finland.
Westcliff resident Lisa Clarkson, who lives beneath the flight path, added: “It is fantastic to see our airport expanding. I am so excited that more routes will be available and easyJet will be opening a base their next summer.
“It is such good news for our city. I would love them to bring in a flight to Rome as that is the best city that I have ever visited. We are so lucky to have a small quick and friendly airport on our doorstep.”
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