Southend Airport boss, Alistair Welch, quits – reason not disclosed
In a surprise announcement, managing director Alastair Welch, who has led Southend airport since before the Stobart Group bought it for £21 million in 2008, said he would leave at the end of July. Paying tribute to Mr Welch Stobart Group boss, Andrew Tinkler, said a team had been put in place to ensure the smooth running of the airport and its continued success. Roger Clements, who has been working for Stobart Air for some time, will take over as managing director in August, with David Lister as airport operations director and Graham Moorhouse as chief financial officer. Andrew Tinkler said: “The transformation of the airport has been led by Alastair Welch, who has been supported by a dedicated, hard-working team. Alastair has decided that, with the redevelopment of the airport all-but complete, the time is now right for him to move on to new challenges.” Mr Welch has overseen installation of a new control tower, railway station, runway extension and terminal, attracted EasyJet to use the airport, got a massive increase in passengers and flights, and the one millionth passenger. Mr Welch was “unavailable for comment.” Reason for his leaving not publicised nor information on his next move.
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Southend Airport boss quits
19th July 2013
By David Trayner (Southend Echo)
Southend Airport boss quitsTHE man who helped transform Southend Airport and brought in record numbers of passengers has announced he is stepping down.
In a surprise announcement yesterday, managing director Alastair Welch, who has led the airport since before the Stobart Group bought it for £21million in 2008, said he would leave at the end of this month.
Paying tribute to Mr Welch after the announcement, Stobart Group boss, Andrew Tinkler, saida team hadbeen put in place to ensure the smooth running of the airport and its continued success.
He said: “The transformation of the airport has been led by Alastair Welch, who has been supported by a dedicated, hard-working team.
“Alastair has decided that, with the redevelopment of the airport all-but complete, the time is now right for him to move on to new challenges.
“The business has been working closely with Alastair during the course of the last year to establish a senior management team that will take London Southend Airport forward, building on the successful platform established by Alastair and the team.
Alastair will be continuing the handover process until the end of July.
“I would like to thank Alastair for the contribution he has made to the development of London Southend Airport and wish him every success for the future.”
Mr Welch, who joined the airport in 2007, has overseen installation of a new control tower, railway station, runway extension and terminal and welcomed the one millionth passenger.
The airport has just enjoyed its busiest year, with 721,661 using the airport – 30,000 more than the previous record of 692,000 in its 1967 heyday.
Roger Clements, who has been working for Stobart Air for some time, will take over as managing director in August, with David Lister as airport operations director and Graham Moorhouse as chief financial officer.
Mr Tinkler said: “Roger has in recent months been working with Alastair to achieve a seamless transition, ensuring we provide the same standard of service.”
Mr Welch was unavailable for comment. No one would comment on his next move.
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Alastair Welch quits Southend
Alastair Welch, managing director of London Southend airport, is stepping down at the end of July.
The Stobart Group, which took over the gateway in December 2008, said its team at Southend airport will now be led by Roger Clements.
Clements has been working closely with Alastair in recent months to achieve a seamless transition, said Andrew Tinkler, CEO of the Stobart Group, in an official statement.
“Alastair has decided that, with the redevelopment of the airport all-but complete, the time is now right for him to move on to new challenges,” said Tinkler.
Welch has overhauled the airport, which now has a longer runway, a new railway station and hotel, a new passenger terminal and control tower, added Tinkler.
“I, together with Stobart Group CFO Ben Whawell, will be working closely with Roger and the senior management team, and with our key customers and stakeholders, on the continuing development of the airport,” he said.
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Southend: The camp, the bling and a cat called Ginger
22.3.2010 (Plane Stupid)
Last week, without any fanfare or proper consultation Southend-on-sea declared
that they would be expanding their airport. Southend is an hour up the line from
London. It used to be the East End’s top holiday destination, but like so many
British seaside towns it’s lost out to cheap flights, and the fall of tourism
has left it with an interesting growth industry: determined resistance to the
ravages of its clueless council. For a flavour of what might be in wait for the
airport, here is the story of a cat, a king, and a camp called Bling…
Some years ago in Southend preparations for a road widening scheme uncovered
an internationally significant archaeological site: a Saxon King’s burial ground.
The council decided to raid the treasure and continue with the tarmac. In outraged
tribute to their forbears’ desecrated goldie looking chains, the locals decided
to set up Camp Bling. For 4 years they occupied the land and mounted an incredibly
inspiring grassroots campaign, that saw treehouses go up and 100 residents storm
a private council awards ceremony.
Eventually the council backed down, and last summer an agreement was made to
limit the road widening to a token gesture of 20 metres. The site carefully packed
away their defences. Then a couple of months ago the council explained that, while
they wouldn’t be taking the burial site, they would be going back on their word
and expanding 160 metres of road. So camp was set up again, at Cuckoo Corner.
Lads who had been too young to be involved in Bling sat up the beautiful beech
that was threatened.
For the last three weeks people have occupied the space 24/7, holding off the
chainsaws and building a small but sturdy activist centre. On the three Saturday
nights before possible eviction, dozens of locals lined the road in readiness.
But then the council decided to make a vicious twist with their possession order
for the land- just two days before the stated court date, they posted up a hit
list of 12 people who they demanded should appeared in conjunction with the case.
Many of the people summoned to court had never even stayed on the site, and one
of them, well, one of them was a cat (who had featured in newspaper articles about
camp Bling). But it seems that a spot of brazen incompetence doesn’t immediately
stop Southend council getting their way, and the judge demanded that everyone
who showed up to the court case pay costs for the privilege of doing so, and threatened
them with contempt of court (and the resulting loss of their assets) if they decided
to protest against the tree felling.
On Saturday, just one day after Whitehall gave the final rubber stamp to airport
expansion, the bailiffs came in early with fencing, security guards, cutting crew
and cranes. Within a few hours the mature trees that had graced the area for over
a century were decimated. 50-100 residents gathered in spontaneous protest despite
the council’s bullying. One man made a bid to lock onto the extraction vehicles
but was pulled off.
Camp Bling and Camp Cuckoo have always been clear that their stand was about
more than trees and history, however important they know both to be. Ten years
after the council tried to pointlessly widen a road, half a dozen trees have been
lost from a project that proposed to take out well over a hundred. And many hundreds
of people have seen that resistance is fertile, that stupid decisions can be fought,
and that land can be won back.
for more on Southend, see
Stop Airport Expansion Now (SAEN) http://saen.org.uk
and more news and information about Southend Airport
and
Southend Airport expansion gets go-ahead from Government
Date Added: 19th March 2010
The government has approved plans for a runway extension at Southend. John Denham
claimed the right to a final say on the extension earlier this year, and could
have called for a public inquiry on the decision made by Southend Council planners.
Opponents are concerned about a rise in passenger numbers to 2m a year and the
adverse environmental effect on the Southend area. The council, as usual, were
persuaded the airport would bring much needed jobs. (BBC)
Click here to view full story…
Southend Council wins order to evict Camp Cuckoo protesters
Date Added: 18th March 2010
Up to 17 members of Saxon King In Priory Park and Parklife are camping out on
land by the roundabout, which the council is planning to clear to widen the road
and have called for more people to join them. Southend Council has been granted
an order to evict protesters from the camp. Many mature trees have already been
felled to make way for road expansion, part of which is to ease access to the
airport.