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Struggling UK airport given huge boost as easyJet to reopen base with six new flight routes to top European destinations
The regional airport was put up for sale last year
PASSENGERS wanting to fly easyJet from Essex have been given a major boost.
Today (Thursday, May 16), easyJet announced that it would be opening its 10th airport base in the UK at London Southend Airport in Essex.
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The budget airline already has nine bases in UK airports like Birmingham International Airport, London Gatwick Airport, Bristol Airport and Edinburgh Airport.
While the low-cost airline already operates several flights from London Southend Airport to destinations across Europe, it will be adding six new routes to its roster when the base opens in summer 2025.
From London Southend Airport, easyJet will fly to Pisa, Gran Canaria, Dalaman and Antalya, Marrakech as well as Enfidha in Tunisia.
Package holidays with easyJet holidays will be on sale from tomorrow for departures after May 1, 2025, as reported by the .
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Three new aircraft will be based at London Southend Airport to support the new routes.
It is though that the new base will create 130 new jobs.
EasyJet started operating from the airport in 2012, but the airline scrapped its base in 2020 because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Johan Lundgren, CEO of easyJet, said: "We are delighted to be announcing another three-aircraft base in the UK, at London Southend Airport.
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"This will create hundreds of jobs and provide more choice for consumers with new routes and package holidays.
"Our continued growth and investment in the UK highlights the importance of the market where this year we will operate more flying than ever before with our customers choosing our flights and holidays because of our trusted brand, unrivalled network and great value fares."
What you need to know about the new airport 100ml liquid rule
Flight deals from London Southend Airport
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- from Southend from £307pp
- to Majorca from £20 each way
- Easyjet flights from from £31 each way
The new easyJet base will be welcome news for the airport, which was put up for sale last year after a drastic drop in passenger numbers.
But earlier today, American private equity giant Carlyle became a majority shareholder in London Southend Airport.
Carlyle now owns 82.5 per cent, with airport chief executive John Upton citing the successful takeover bid as "really good news".
He told the : "They were previously a lender of ours but now they’ve moved into being a majority owner.
"The good news is they have great expertise in the airport space, they’ve obviously got some financial clout, and I’m delighted to say they’re our owner going forward. The future of the airport is very, very secure."
Carlyle already owns part of JFK Airport in New York.
During the coronavirus lockdowns, the number of people passing through the Essex travel hub dropped by around 90 per cent.
The drop in passenger footprint resulted in heavy post-tax financial losses of £21.5million in February 2022.
EasyJet wasn't the only airline to pull its airport hub because of Covid-19, with Ryanair and Wizz Air also scrapping flights.
There are only a handful of daily departures from London Southend Airport.
According to flightradar24, only seven flights are scheduled to leave London Southend Airport today (May 16, 2024).
These include destinations like Humberside, Jersey, Zagreb, Malaga and Mallorca.
Only five easyJet flights are set to operate from the airport tomorrow (May 17, 2024), according to the air traffic website.
Earlier this year, Italian start-up Aeroitalia confirmed it would be scrapping all flights from the London Airport - just weeks after they were announced.
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Hand luggage rules for UK airlines
We've rounded up how much hand luggage you can take on UK airlines when booking their most basic fare.
Ryanair
One personal bag measuring no more than 40cm x 20cm x 25cm
EasyJet
One personal bag measuring no larger than 45cm x 36cm x 20cm
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One personal item that fits underneath the seat in front and one cabin bag no larger than 56cm x 45cm x 25cm weighing up to 10kg
TUI
One personal item that its underneath the seat in front and one cabin bag no larger than 55cm x 40cm x 20cm weighing up to 10kg
British Airways
One personal bag no larger than 40cm x 30cm x 15cm and one cabin bag no larger than 56cm x 45cm 25cm weighing up to 23kg
Virgin Atlantic
One personal item that fits underneath the seat in front and one cabin bag no larger than 56cm x 36cm x 23cm weighing up to 10kg
Meanwhile, an abandoned UK airport has revealed plans for Ryanair and easyJet flights - following a 10-year closure.
Manston Airport bosses are hoping to reintroduce passengers flights when the airport becomes a successful cargo base.
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