EasyJet marks further expansion at London Southend Airport
To further enhance the airline’s expansion and network of destinations from London Southend, easyJet has added a fourth aircraft to its fleet based at the airport. The additional plane will enable the launch of three new easyJet destinations to Berlin, Krakow and Newquay with 130,000 passengers expected to fly on these new services annually increasing passenger traffic at London Southend Airport by almost 20%. The announcement comes just over one month after easyJet’s inaugural flights to Edinburgh took off from the airport in May.
EasyJet’s flights to Germany’s capital Berlin are launching just in time for the city’s lively calendar of summer music and arts festivals, which the city is rapidly becoming renowned for alongside its many palaces and stunning historical landmarks like the Brandenburg Gate.
With the strong connections which Southend shares with Poland (the town is twinned with Sopot), it’s estimated that easyJet will carry 50,000 passengers between London Southend and Krakow who are travelling on business or for leisure to discover cultural wonders such as Wawel Hill and the spectacular backdrop of the Tatra mountains.
EasyJet marked the addition of the fourth aircraft and its inaugural Newquay flight with a fun send-off by the London Southend Airport Fire Service, which gave the plane a 40ft high water arch salute before it took-off.
Hugh Aitken, UK commercial manager at easyJet, said: “We are absolutely delighted to be celebrating further expansion at London Southend Airport today. The addition of another aircraft will help us to deliver long term, sustainable growth at the base providing passengers with a greater range of destinations, all with low fares and great service.
“In just one year almost a million easyJet passengers from the region have chosen our easy and affordable services from London Southend Airport to 15 destinations in Europe and the UK. We now operate 180 easyJet flights per week and look forward to celebrating many more milestones with the London Southend team in future.”
Alastair Welch London Southend Airport’s managing director, said: “The strength of our growing partnership with easyJet is underlined with the basing of this their fourth aircraft at London Southend Airport. These three additional destinations will give even more choice to the people of Southend and beyond, as well as offering exceptionally easy access into London for visitors from Berlin, Krakow and Newquay."
EasyJet’s inaugural flight arrived in Newquay at 08:20am from London Southend - carrying the first of 20,000 visitors expected to travel to and from the region with easyJet this summer - had 28 year old Liskeard born Cornish pilot Richard Andrews at the helm.
Passengers waiting to board the inaugural easyJet service to London Southend were treated to a VIP send off in a specially decorated orange departure lounge. Ali Gayward, commercial manager for easyJet, said: “Today marks our first flight to Newquay Cornwall Airport and an exciting new step for easyJet. It is great to add a new UK destination to our network and we hope Newquay will prove extremely popular with holidaymakers from London Southend and Liverpool this summer.
“The new Southend flights make business trips or long weekends in the Capital easy and affordable as it takes just 45 minutes to reach London by train. The new flights will also open up a range of holiday destinations for people in Cornwall as both Liverpool and London Southend serve a wide range of European resorts and cities.”
Al Titterington, managing director Newquay Cornwall Airport:“Today’s inaugural flight from London Southend with easyJet is an exciting time for Newquay Cornwall Airport. For us to be operating flights with the UK largest airline is a positive step and we are confident there will be strong demand for this service from travellers to Cornwall.”
Richard Andrews (above centre), First Officer at easyJet, said: “The atmosphere on board the flight this morning was fantastic and I was honoured to make the announcement welcoming passengers to Newquay when we touched down. I’m originally from Liskeard to it’s an honour to be part of the crew who operated easyJet’s first flight to Cornwall."
EasyJet will also introduce flights to and from Liverpool Airport and Newquay Airport on 4 July, operating on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays.
Malcolm Bell, head of Visit Cornwall, said: “Cornwall is regularly voted the UK's top holiday destination and we know there are many potential customers from London and Liverpool that would love fast, easy and affordable access to Cornwall. We welcome the routes and are looking forward to working closely with Easyjet to establish these exciting, new connections.”
