A LESSER-KNOWN airport is set to become one of the UK’s most popular transport hubs with ambitious plans to triple passenger numbers.
London Southend Airport, which acquired new joint owners earlier this year, aims to welcome 10 million passengers a year.
Carlyle Airport Group chief executive Amit Rikhy, who became one of the airport’s new owners earlier this year, says London Southend is the only airport serving the London market with the potential for significant expansion.
It wants the airport to handle up to 10 million passengers a year, nearly tripling its current capacity.
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Speaking at the London Aviation Symposium, Mr Rikhy said he was investing in getting people to know more about the airport as its numbers continue to recover from the pandemic.
The terminal currently has a capacity of 3.5 million, but many of its flight services have not returned following the outbreak of Covid-19.
Passenger numbers are slowly increasing and are expected to reach 1 million next year.
The airport still offers flights to popular holiday destinations such as Tenerife, Gran Canaria, Dalaman, Marrakech, Paris, Amsterdam, Alicante and Lapland.
These routes and several others are mainly served by easyJet, with BHAir providing additional routes to and from Burgas, Bulgaria.
This year also saw the launch of new easyJet flights to Pisa, Antalya and Enfidha in Tunisia.
However, Mr Rikhy believes Southend is perfectly poised to become an important travel hub for British travelers and those coming to the UK.
According to Aviation Week, he said at the symposium: “Why did we invest in Southend? Access to London.
“This airport is the only airport in the London market that has capacity. Major London airports are running out of capacity; they don’t have slots.”
But before it can spread, it needs to raise awareness because not enough people know about it as a travel option right now.
Amit explained that this is improving with money being spent to expose the airport to new markets.
He said they are also spending money to make sure the passenger experience is as smooth as possible to encourage people to choose it as an option.
This includes new technologies such as state-of-the-art X-ray scanners and self-service baggage, making the check-in process much easier.
He continued: “We’re looking at things like self-check-in for baggage and making passenger self-check-in more efficient… queue management and better wayfinding.
“We recently invested in new X-ray security equipment.
It remains unclear when the airport will be able to begin expansion.
Hand Baggage Rules for UK Airlines
We’ve rounded up how much hand luggage you can take with UK airlines when booking their most basic fare.
Ryanair
One personal bag measuring no more than 40cm x 20cm x 25cm
EasyJet
One carry-on bag no larger than 45cm x 36cm x 20cm
Jet2
One personal item that fits under the seat in front and one cabin bag no larger than 56cm x 45cm x 25cm weighing up to 10kg
TUI
One personal item located under the seat in front and one cabin bag measuring no more than 55cm x 40cm x 20cm and weighing up to 10kg
British Airways
One cabin bag no larger than 40cm x 30cm x 15cm and one cabin bag no bigger than 56cm x 45cm 25cm weighing up to 23kg
Virgin Atlantic
One personal item that fits under the seat in front and one piece of cabin baggage no larger than 56cm x 36cm x 23cm weighing up to 10kg