Tuesday, June 21, 2011

EasyJet Reveals Plans for London Southend Airport

Britain’s low cost carrier EasyJet has revealed its plans to launch 70 flights a week from the London Southend Airport from April 2012. Southend Airport will be EasyJet’s 11th base in the UK.

The airline that is popular among budget travellers for offering cheap flight tickets will begin operations with three A319 aircraft and more than 150 staff members.

EasyJet will provide flights to 10 European destinations from the airport, including popular holiday destinations like Barcelona, Berlin and Milan. The airline aims to serve nearly 800,000 passengers in its first year of operation from the Southend Airport.

With this development, the prospects of Southend becoming a significant air hub for London increases considerably. The airport will look to relieve some pressure off the capital’s overstretched airports.

Tickets for these flights will go on sale in July. Budget travellers who hope to land up with cheap flight tickets with EasyJet would do well to make reservations as early as possible.

The Stobart Group’s investment plan for London Southend will allow the airport to provide European travellers with one of the quickest routes to central London. Flight time will also be reduced and fast terminal experience will also be provided to the passengers. EasyJet will now be able to reap the benefits of these major changes at London Southend.

Catherine Lynn, easyJet’s Customer and Revenue Director, expressed her pleasure with the development.

She said, “We are excited to be opening London Southend as easyJet’s 20th base airport. The airport is in a fantastic location just outside London with a fast rail link into the city. This is a unique opportunity to offer a world class customer experience, with passengers able to get from the plane to the train in 15 minutes.

“Through offering easy and affordable travel, we expect the new routes to appeal to customers in Essex and London looking for a convenient new departure point for many top European destinations. We also believe that the European city links will also attract a high number of inbound business and leisure passengers to London next year.”

London Olympics in Sight

EasyJet’s 10 year contract with the Stobart Group’s London Southend Airport attains a special significance in the light of impending 2012 London Olympics. Heaps of foreign tourists are expected to visit the city during the world’s foremost sports competition.

Alastair Welch, London Southend Airport’s Managing Director, was quoted as stating, “We are delighted to announce our partnership with easyJet, servicing a comprehensive variety of routes into Europe and hot on the heels of other significant developments at London Southend. This summer we open a dedicated railway station with up to eight services an hour to Stratford - site of the 2012 games, and to London Liverpool Street, both in well under an hour.”

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