Southend wants to be major London airport

Southend airport is now up for sale as the owners seek financial backing 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, high efficiency jets being used by regional airlines operating scheduled flights and short haul holiday 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 quality airport hotel this Spring. Other plans include a new airport railway station offering journey times to Liverpool Street of 49 minutes and to Stratford, site of the 2012 Olympics, of only 42 minutes. Permission is also being sought to build a new airport terminal.

“London Southend has a great future ahead of it,” says Andrew Walters, chief executive of Southend airport owner Regional Airports Ltd (RAL). “We have already invested a great deal in the airport’s infrastructure and have secured approval for exciting development plans. What is required now is for an owner with the required resources and expertise to realise fully the potential that we know is there. 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 1967. 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. Car maker Ford recently switched its twice daily business flights from Cologne to Southend rather than Stansted airport.

Written by: Nick Purdom