EasyJet flights from Southend to 9 destinations start on 2nd April

EasyJet starts its flights from Southend on 2nd April.  They say there will be 70 easyJet flights per week. They will start a ski flight to Geneva at the end of the year. The easyJet launch programme includes family destinations, city breaks and  a few business routes. There will be 9 destinations, rising to 10 with the addition of Geneva.  Alicante, Amsterdam, Barcelona Berlin, Faro, Ibiza, Jersey, Majorca and Malaga.  Amsterdam is proving the most popular route to and from Southend. There will also be two routes to Ireland by Aer Lingus, to Waterford and to Dublin.  EasyJet say Southend is their 11th UK base, bringing 3 new A319s and “over 150 employees” to the airport. They expect over 800,000 passengers in the first year. 

 


EasyJet’s press release has a rather odd title.

Do they not realise there has been an airport at Southend for decades??

EasyJet   26.3.2012

EASYJET’S INAUGURAL FLIGHT CELEBRATES THE LAUNCH OF THE FIRST NEW AIRPORT IN THE SOUTH EAST FOR DECADES

– Popular ski route of Geneva to launch from winter 2012-

easyJet, the UK’s largest airline, will today celebrate the launch of its new UK base at London Southend Airport – the first new airport in the south east for decades. Southend is the airline’s 23rd base in Europe and 11th in the UK, with a special inaugural flight taking off from the new airport to Barcelona.

Southend was once London’s third biggest as well as the home of Freddie Laker’s first airline venture. Southend will offer a fast and convenient new way to fly to and from London. The brand new terminal – which was recently officially opened by Secretary of State for Transport, Justine Greening MP – is located within a minute’s walk from the new train station with superb links into Stratford and central London.

Carolyn McCall, chief executive of easyJet, commented;

“We are delighted to be at Southend to launch our services here. We have worked closely with the airport over the past year to help put Southend Airport back on the map and we are sure that its fast, efficient and customer friendly terminal along with its great rail links to London will make it a popular choice with our passengers.”

Commercial flights commence on 2 April when there will be 70 easyJet flights per week, making it the ideal gateway for both business and leisure travel across Europe. On landing at Southend Airport passengers should be able to get from the plane to the train within 15 minutes.

easyJet has today announced a new route for the winter schedule from London Southend, the tenth route from the airport, to popular city and ski centre, Geneva. easyJet will operate three services a week on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from mid-December. Seats will go on sale on 19 April.

Carolyn McCall, added:

“We are also pleased to be able to add Geneva to our wide range of routes which are available from the airport. Our launch programme includes family destinations, city breaks and key business routes but we felt it was important to ensure that a skiing destination was also available for the winter.”

From 2 April onwards easyJet flights will commence more than 70 flights a week to nine destinations across Europe from Alicante, Amsterdam, Barcelona Berlin, Faro, Ibiza, Jersey, Majorca and Malaga. Geneva will be added from winter 2012. Amsterdam is proving the most popular route to and from London Southend proving that for the Dutch “de enige manier is Essex” (The only way is Essex).

Alastair Welch, Managing Director of London Southend Airport, commented;

“easyJet’s start of services from London Southend marks the true beginning of a new era for the airport. With £100 million invested and 500 new jobs created in the region, together with 10 exciting new routes from easyJet, the existing Aer Lingus Regional Waterford route and a new Dublin service from May, this is a very exciting time to start flying from London Southend Airport.”

London Southend is easyJet’s eleventh UK base which will bring three new A319 aircraft and over 150 employees to the airport, with more than 800,000 passengers expected to fly in the airline’s first year of take off.

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easyJet operates Europe’s No. 1 air transport network with a leading presence on Europe’s top 100 routes and at Europe’s 50 largest airports.
easyJet flies on more than 600 routes between 130 airports in 30 countries. More than 300 million Europeans live within one hour’s drive of an easyJet airport, more than any other airline.

The airline takes sustainability seriously. easyJet invests in the latest technology, operates efficiently and fills most of its seats which means that an easyJet passenger’s carbon footprint is 22% less than a passenger on a traditional airline, flying the same aircraft on the same route.

http://corporate.easyjet.com/media/latest-news.aspx

 

 


 

 

Opening of Southend Airport’s new terminal and runway extension

5.3.2012

On 5th March Southend held its official opening of its new terminal building, and of its runway extension that is now completed. Local opponents fought a long and hard battle against the runway extension.  At present the airport has just one destination airport – Waterford in Ireland.  On 2nd April, easyJet flights to bucket-and-spade Spanish destinations start (including Malaga, Ibiza and Mallorca) taking tourists and their money out of the UK. There will be 20-30 passenger daily flights this year, but Stobart hopes to eventually carry up to 2 million passengers annually and plans to extend the terminal further this summer.  easyJet came to Southend due to cheaper landing charges than at Stansted.  Some passengers will find the empty terminal and the easy train journey from London’s Liverpool Street easier than a trip to Stansted or Luton. Alistair Welch, the CEO, says he expects there to be 500 jobs created at the airport this year.   500? He said 150 last summer.

https://www.airportwatch.org.uk/?p=1302