Welcome to the ambitiously named London Southend airport, officially reopening on Monday 5th March, with a runway now large enough for easyJet’s planes, and set to export the holidaymakers of south Essex and to lure unwary Spanish visitors.
From 2 April, easyJet starts flying from here to destinations including Malaga, Ibiza and Mallorca, routes to excite the Towie stars who graced the airport’s launch party, where the leader of the council spoke of bringing “jetsetters” from Spain to Southend. Visitors may have reason to be tempted: a 52-minute ride to Liverpool Street station makes its rail connection to the capital roughly equivalent to Stansted’s, but cheaper, and on a line that stops at Stratford for the Olympic Park.
And with London City Airport just 40 minutes away, Essex’s army of holidaymakers and business travellers are spoilt for choice.
“We know we will never be the size of Stansted,” said Mr Welch. “We want to be a tenth the size and offer something different.
“We were the UK’s third-busiest airport but when Stansted opened in 1991 traffic migrated there. We want to make the most of Southend again.
“So why on earth would you come here instead of Stansted? We have been built for short-haul flights.
“We are never going to be Heathrow or Gatwick, and it is going to be a simple process to get through our airport.”
The new terminal is a stone’s throw away from the new Southend Airport railway station, which sees eight trains arrive from Liverpool Street and Stratford every hour.
Southend Airport chiefs are also in talks to have the X30 bus run from Chelmsford to the airport and back every hour.
The terminal itself is sparkling and modern, but after visiting the likes of Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted it feels like one of the tiny airports you find in tropical islands.
The small check-in desk is just yards from the escalator that leads to the departure lounge, which features a café, a WH Smith and a duty free shop.
If you stand to the side of the building, you can see the only planes standing just behind it. And that is exactly what the bosses were aiming for.
They have made some impressive promises about the speed with which you can breeze through their airport. It should take no more than four minutes to get through security.
And on your way home, you should be able to get from plane to train in just 15 minutes if you have hand luggage only – 30 minutes if you have larger bags.
“Whilst you are always welcome to eat and shop here, we would not imagine anyone getting here more than a couple of hours before a flight,” said Mr Welch, who plans to fly to Amsterdam in April, Jersey in June and Faro in September.
“And we are unlike most other airports because we manage the process from end to end.
“We own the railway station, the car parks, the wheelchairs – we own everything and we will never say something has gone wrong and it’s not our fault.”
Catherine Lynn, easyJet’s director of customers and revenue, said: “The promised absence of delays was one of the factors which appealed to us about Southend.”
The budget airline will have three planes based at the airport and should change its range of destinations in the winter.
The terminal forms part of a £100 million investment in Southend Airport by owner the Stobart Group, which also includes a longer runway, new roads, a new control tower and new radar mast.
In July, a four-star hotel will be completed, with 120 bedrooms, conference rooms, a restaurant and bar with panoramic views of the runway.
Groundwork has already begun for an extension which will make the terminal larger, housing a wider range of shops and restaurants.
“We are so focused on our desire to give excellent customer service that we have applied to increase the size of the airport to give customers more room,” said Mr Welch.
“But we will never be a large airport. A comparable airport, Southampton, has two million passengers a year and flies to 30 destinations that are up to around three hours away.”
