Ambitious Southend airport seeks cash injection
28.1.2008 (Flightmapping)
Southend airport has been put up for sale as the owners seek the financial backing
needed to extend the runway and build a new terminal in time for the London Olympics.
Extending the runway would allow Southend airport to handle the new generation of medium capacity
jets being used by regional airlines operating short-haul scheduled and charter
flights.
Work has already started on a new airport car park at Southend airport, and there are also plans to start work on a new airport
hotel this spring. Other plans include a new terminal building and a railway station
linking the airport with London Liverpool Street and Stratford, site of the 2012
Olympics.
Andrew Walters, the chief executive of Southend airport owner Regional Airports Ltd, said the facility needed investment to realise its full potential. He said:
"We have already invested a great deal in the airport’s infrastructure and have
secured approval for exciting development plans. London Southend is ready to once
again become an internationally recognised airport."
Southend was once the third busiest London airport, handling almost 700,000 passengers
in the 1960s.
Recently a number of new flights have been announced. Flybe will operate a twice
weekly service to Jersey in the summer. Flywatch is starting new weekend flights
to Le Touquet from March, to Bruges/Ostend from April, and to Calais from July.