EasyJet to fly to Southend by Olympics
CUT-PRICE airline easyJet yesterday said it is to start flying out of Southend airport in Essex from April 2012, just months before the Olympics open in east London.
EasyJet expects to fly 800,000 passengers through the airport in its first year, routing 70 flights per week to ten European cities including Barcelona and Ibiza in Spain, and Faro in Portugal.
It has signed a ten-year deal to operate the flights from the airport, which is located close enough to the capital to be a major competitor to London’s Stansted and City airports during the Olympic events.
The agreement was signed with airport owner Stobart Group, the haulage firm founded by Eddie Stobart.
Southend airport is currently used as a freight hub and for private jets, as well as flights to Jersey and Ireland.
EasyJet’s customer and revenue director Catherine Lynn said it expected to see a high number of inbound business and leisure passengers to London next year as well as serving as an outlet for London travellers.
London Southend, as it is known, completes new rail links to central London this summer and will run eight trains an hour to Stratford, where the Olympic village is based, and Liverpool Street stations.
The train journey is expected to take 42 minutes to Stratford and 49 minutes to Liverpool Street.