easyJet has opened a new base at a UK airport close to the capital creating 1,200 new jobs including 140 direct jobs for pilots and cabin crew, with 122 flights per week heading to 20 sunny destinations
EasyJet has opened a new hub at a UK airport, with flights heading to 20 sunny destinations.
The first flights departing from easyJet’s new hub at London Southend airport took off this week, bound for new destinations including Palma, Malta and Pisa. The new base at London Southend is now home to three easyJet A320neo aircraft, supporting around 1,200 jobs including 140 direct jobs for pilots and cabin crew.
The airline is serving 122 weekly flights on 20 routes from Southend to leisure destinations across Europe and North Africa – a 133 per cent increase compared to last summer. In addition, the new base will provide over 330,000 seats for holiday customers to choose from when planning their getaway for this summer.
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London Southend is easyJet’s 10th UK base opening, following the launch of Birmingham International Airport last year.
The airline and holidays company is anticipating its largest ever summer season with seven more aircraft joining easyJet’s UK fleet from Edinburgh, Manchester, Bristol, Birmingham and London Southend, providing half a million more seats this summer across the airline’s network spanning Europe and North Africa.
Garry Wilson, easyJet holidays CEO, said: “With flights and thousands of package holidays now available to 20 destinations from London Southend, this will not only enable us to serve many more customers, providing value and more choice, but also supports critical connectivity and jobs for the UK, as we get set for our biggest ever summer.”
Nigel Thompson, travel editor at the Mirror, was there to see the unveiling of the easyJet hub at Southend. He said: “easyJet’s reopening of a base at Southend Airport after the pandemic closure is great news for travellers and brings a very welcome 140 new jobs to Southeast Essex. The carrier’s 10th UK home is known for its friendliness, flight punctuality, fast transit through the terminal and excellent rail links into London Liverpool Street and connections on to the Elizabeth Line.
“With 122 flights a week across 20 routes, there is a terrific choice for beach getaways and city breaks with easyJet holidays and North African hotspots Marrakesh and Enfidha will be popular as Brits rediscover their love of Morocco and Tunisia. Sunshine favourites such as Antalya, Faro, Malta, Majorca, Tenerife, Gran Canaria and Lanzarote will guarantee bums on plane seats, while breaks to Geneva, Paris, Salzburg and Amsterdam are proven winners.“The airport was badly hit by a collapse in passengers during Covid-19 and easyJet’s subsequent withdrawal, but the emphatic return of the airline and holiday brand is a huge win for travellers in Essex, East London, north Kent and the wider East Anglia region. EasyJet also expects keen interest in inbound tourist flights to discover sunny Southend and also on to London and East Anglia as the government aims to welcome 50 million international visitors to the UK per year by 2030.”
