AMBITIOUS plans to expand Southend Airport may hit challenging times because of the departure of easyJet and Ryanair, it is feared.

The final Ryanair flights from the airport departed at the weekend, following the budget carrier’s decision to quit Southend, announced over the summer.

Passengers are now unable to book any flights abroad through Ryanair.

This comes 18 months after easyJet withdrew from Southend Airport.

It is feared the planned expansion at the airport - upgrades to the runways, and both arrivals and departure lounges - may stall as the airport builds back its operations.

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Carole Mulroney, Southend councillor responsible for environment, culture, tourism and planning, said: “The airport is a huge employer in the area, so it’s a real worry that the jobs aren’t there now with easyJet and Ryanair no longer there.

“If the passenger flight situation doesn’t resolve itself quickly, it makes the expansion more difficult.

“The current airport situation is a real shame. We never want to see a business fail, especially when it’s such a large part of Southend.”

She refused to be drawn on whether the council is in favour of the expansion, which was announced two years ago, four months before the first lockdown in the UK.

It was hoped both new arrivals and departure terminals would have a capacity of seven million each.

Plans were also pitched for a new multi-storey car park, with space for up to 3,000 cars.

Stobart, the firm which runs the airport, changed its name to Esken earlier this year, and sold a share of the airport for £120million to Carlyle, a US equity company.

The deal gives Esken a loan that Carlyle could convert into a nearly 30 per cent stake in the airport.

Daniel Cowan, Labour councillor for St Laurence ward, added: “The expansion doesn’t make environmental or financial sense in the current climate. There needs to be serious questions asked at what’s going on.

“Is the airport moving towards a more cargo heavy operation? If so, then a lot of questions will be asked about why the night flights can’t be moved to fill the empty slots in the day.”

The Amazon night flights have long been criticised by both councillors and residents.

Southend Airport was contacted for comment.