Easyjet, the UK-based budget airline with its headquarters at Luton Airport in Bedfordshire, has seen positive results from its first year of operations out of Southend Airport in Essex.
The airline flew 700,000 passengers from its Southend operation last year, and has developed 15 routes with more being planned. Edinburgh, Scotland, will be added to schedules from May, with Berlin in Germany, Krakow in Poland and Newquay in the southwest of England being added in June.
Hugh Aitken, UK commercial manager for easyjet, commented, ‘We’re fully committed to London Southend airport and have demonstrated this by investing heavily in new destinations. We’re keen to continue adding more varied routes to our schedule and over the coming weeks we’ll see inaugural flights to Edinburgh, Berlin, Krakow and Newquay take off. Ultimately our long-term aim at London Southend airport is simple; to expand our network, bring more competition and lower fares as well as opening up new markets to both our leisure and business travellers.’
Alastair Welch, Southend Airport’s managing director, added: ‘We think our unique promises to passengers – that they should wait no more than four minutes to go through security and that, on arrival with hand baggage, they are on the rail station platform within 15 minutes of leaving the aircraft – is what is driving more and more passengers to choose London’s newest airport. That is why we are currently extending the terminal to ensure that we continue to deliver these high standards of customer service as the airport grows.’
