London Southend Airport saw its two biggest weekends ever after the Stobart Group-owned and operated airport saw the take-off of new flights from Ryanair and Loganair.
More than 24,000 passengers used London Southend Airport, which has been voted London’s best airport by consumer group Which? for five consecutive years, between Friday 27 July and Sunday 29 July and over 23,000 people used the airport between Friday 20 July and Saturday 22 July.
The first figure represents an increase of 28% when compared to the same weekend last year, while the second figure represents an almost 50% (47%) increase when compared to the same weekend last year.
The increase in users from London has been partly driven by Ryanair commencing flights from the airport in April 2019. The airline has added 14 new routes and is part of a growing number of operators based at the airport including easyJet, Air Malta, and Flybe.
London-based passengers can also now benefit from new early arrival and late departure trains being operated by Greater Anglia trains. The new train timetable improves access to what is already one of London’s best-connected airports, with up to six services an hour to and from Liverpool Street station.
Passengers also have a number of on-road options to travel around the city, as Airport Transfer Services offer vehicle hires for pick-up and drop to the airport as well as to and from various London locations. This can be extremely beneficial for people who have full schedules and need to get around the city quickly, with day hires attending to their travel needs, international business travellers who have to get to far-off locations, or even tourists who wish to glimpse the city on a stress-free day.
The growing number of routes and ease of travel is proving especially popular with younger travellers. A survey of almost 14,000 passengers between May and June 2019 showed 73% were between the ages of 18 to 34, of which 36% were 18-25.
