| London Southend Airport Southend Airport |
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|---|---|---|---|
| IATA: SEN – ICAO: EGMC | |||
| Summary | |||
| Airport type | Public | ||
| Owner | Stobart Airports Ltd | ||
| Operator | London Southend Airport Company Ltd | ||
| Serves | Southend, Essex and east London areas | ||
| Location | Rochford, Essex | ||
| Elevation AMSL | 49 ft / 15 m | ||
| Coordinates | |||
| Website | |||
| Map | |||
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EGMC
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| Runways | |||
| Direction | Length | Surface | |
| m | ft | ||
| 06/24 | 1,605 | 5,266 | Asphalt |
| Statistics (2010) | |||
| Aircraft Movements | 27,320 | ||
| Passengers | 3,583 | ||
| Sources: UK AIP at NATS[1] UK CAA Aircraft Movements[2] Passenger Numbers[3] |
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London Southend Airport or Southend Airport (IATA: SEN, ICAO: EGMC) is a regional airport in the district of Rochford within Essex, England.
During the 1960s, Southend was the third-busiest airport in the United Kingdom.[4] It remained London's third-busiest airport in terms of passengers handled until the end of the 1970s, when the role of "London's third airport" passed to Stansted.[5] Following its purchase by the Stobart Group in 2008,[5] there has been an ongoing programme of development,[6][7][8] and EasyJet is to start operating services and open a base at Southend in April 2012.[9] The airport operators hope to increase passenger numbers to two million per year by 2020.[4][7]
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The airport is located between Rochford and Southend town centres, 1.5 NM (2.8 km; 1.7 mi) north of Southend,[1] in the county of Essex to the east of London. A frequent rail service runs from the Southend Airport railway station to London Liverpool Street with a journey time of approximately 55 minutes, and 44 minutes to Stratford station. This is expected to make the airport attractive for visitors to the 2012 Olympic Games.[10]
The terminal houses a café, check-in desks, departure lounge, a car hire desk, a photo booth, an ATM (dispensing euros and sterling), a small tourist information point, an executive VIP lounge and reception area. There is a taxi rank and free car park 100 m (330 ft) in front of the terminal, which means that passenger 'aircraft to car' times are very fast. There is a shuttle bus between Southend Airport railway station and the existing passenger terminal.
Bus services operated by Arriva Southend are available from the public road fronting the airport entrance to Southend (7, 8 and 9), Rochford (7 and 8), Ashingdon (7), Hawkwell (8), Hockley (7 and 8), Eastwood (9) and Rayleigh (7, 8 and 9). Routes 7, 8 and 9 are normally operated by modern, low-floor easy-access buses.
The airfield was established by the Royal Flying Corps during World War I. It was the largest flying ground in Essex, with the greatest number of units. In May 1915 the RNAS took over, until 4 June 1916, when it became RFC Rochford. It was designated as night fighter station and many sorties were flown against Zeppelin airship raiders, including LZ38 on 31 May 1915. In 1920, the station closed and reverted to farmland for a while.
In 1939, the Air Ministry requisitioned the airfield and it was known as RAF Rochford during World War II. It became a satellite base. During World War II, it became a base for fighter squadrons comprising Supermarine Spitfires and Hawker Hurricanes as well as Bristol Blenheims. Many of the 50 pillboxes that were designed to protect the airport from paratroop landings still survive, as does the underground defence control room, which is near to Southend Flying Club. A further 20 or so pillboxes also remain in the surrounding countryside. In 1946, the airfield was decommissioned from military use and civil aviation returned in 1947, as did the Southend Municipal Airport name.
Canewdon, 2 miles north-east of the airport, was the location of one of the World War II Chain Home radar stations. The 360-foot (110 m) high transmitter tower at Canewdon was relocated to the Marconi works at Great Baddow in the 1950s.
The airport was officially opened as a municipal airport in on 18 September 1935 by the Under-Secretary of State for Air, Sir Philip Sassoon, who arrived in his de Havilland Leopard Moth.[11] In the second world war it was known as RAF Rochford and once again there was much military activity seen. Southend Airport is often remembered for the car ferry flights operated by the piston-engined Bristol Freighter and the Aviation Traders Carvair. There used to be an aviation museum on the western boundary of the airport.
Freddie Laker's Air Charter Limited operated flights from Southend from 1949. Other Southend-headquartered companies Laker owned included Aviation Traders and Aviation Traders (Engineering). Sold in 1958, they became part of Airwork in January 1959.
BKS[nb 1] commenced airline operations from Southend Airport in October 1951 as BKS Aero Charter[nb 2] with a Douglas DC-3. Further DC-3s were bought in 1952. Flying charters initially, in 1953, it was granted a licence to operate scheduled services between Newcastle, the Isle of Man and Jersey.
East Anglian Flying Services moved to Southend on 5 January 1947, their first scheduled service being a Southend—Rochester feeder service. In 1948, East Anglian operated its first inclusive tour (IT) charter from Southend to Ostend, and by winter 1948 had acquired seven additional aircraft (five de Havilland Dragon Rapides, a Miles Aerovan and an Auster Airspeed Courier). After a year of operating the Southend—Ostend charter run, a scheduled service licence was obtained for the route, as well as for Southend—Jersey. Further scheduled services launched from Southend to Paris and Rotterdam as well as additional stops on some Jersey services at Rochester, Shoreham and Guernsey. During the mid to late 1950s, three de Havilland Doves were introduced, and two Bristol 170s had joined the fleet by late 1957. The name Channel Airways officially replaced East Anglian Flying Services on 29 October 1962, although the Channel Airways name had already been in use for several years and painted on aircraft fuselages. By then, Channel Airways had become one of the UK's five leading independent airlines of the 1960s. The administrative headquarters and main engineering base continued at Southend until the airline ceased all operations at the end of February 1972.
British World Airlines (BWA) was based at Southend, previously they operated as British Air Ferries (BAF), and before that, as British United Air Ferries (BUAF) – formed from the merger of Channel Air Bridge (based at Southend, and famous for operating the Carvair) and Silver City Airways. BAF/BWA owned many Vickers Viscount turboprop airliners, fitted out for passenger and cargo operations. These aircraft, dating from the mid/late 1950s to the early 1960s, were originally owned and operated by British European Airways (BEA), one of the two main predecessors of the present-day British Airways. BWA retired and sold these aircraft in the late 1990s. From the 1970s to the early 1990s, the airline also owned and operated several Handley Page Herald turboprops. In the 1990s, BWA operated many different aircraft types including BAC One-Elevens, British Aerospace 146s, British Aerospace ATPs, Boeing 737-300s and a Boeing 757. The airline ceased operations late in 2001, affected by the downturn caused by the 11 September attacks and bringing to an end an airline with over 50 years association with the airport.
Dan-Air began its life at Southend with a Douglas DC-3, registration G-AMSU, (originally owned by Meredith Air Transport, a small Southend-based ad hoc charter operator formed in 1952), fulfilling a six-month contract to operate a series of charter flights between Southend and West Berlin's Tempelhof Airport. The airline's first commercial operation – an ad hoc charter flight from Southend via Manchester to Shannon – occurred in June 1953. In 1955 Dan-Air moved its base to Blackbushe.
Annual passenger traffic peaked in 1967 at just below 700,000,[12] and Southend continued to handle more traffic than Stansted until well into the 1970s, making it London's de facto third airport.[13]
In 1993, after the airport had been making losses for many years, Southend Borough Council sold the airport to Regional Airports Ltd (RAL), operator of Biggin Hill Airport. London Southend Airport Co Ltd was formed to operate the airport which was re-branded as "London Southend Airport" with the term "Municipal" dropping from the title. The previous losses were turned into small profits for majority of tenure by RAL.
The largest aircraft ever to land at the Airport was in November 1998 when a Lockheed L-1011 Tristar of Irish airline Aer Turas arrived for scrapping at the airport.
In 2002/3, a debate centred on the possible relocation of Grade 1 listed St Laurence and All Saints Church further away from the side of the main runway. The proposal was dropped after the planning application was rejected by Southend Council.[14], and a compromise scheme was implemented resulting in slightly shorter licensed runway lengths. This change allowed passenger flights to be restarted, however the resulting runway length curtails the potential range and payloads for passenger flights, and the airport has not been greatly utilised by airlines in recent years.
Region Airways was a small commuter airline based at Southend in the late 1980s and early 1990s that provided services to Brussels, Rotterdam and Paris using Embraer EMB 110 Bandeirante and Jetstream 31 aircraft. [15]
Flightline was an airline formed in 1989 headquartered at Southend, where they also had a maintenance/engineering base for their own and third party aircraft. They mainly operated British Aerospace 146 aircraft on ad-hoc charters, and an Avro RJ100 regional jet with which they operated a regular service between Southend and Cologne from 7 June 2006 to 1 December 2008 on behalf of Ford Motor Company as a corporate shuttle.[16] Flightline went into administration on 3 December 2008.[17]
Holland Aero Lines operated a Rotterdam to Southend service with a GAF Nomad aircraft between 4 February 1985 and December 1986. It flew up to three times daily on weekdays, with one flight on Saturday.
National Commuter Airways operated passenger services during the 1980s, to Brussels (in association with Sabena) and Jersey from Southend.[18]
In January 2008, Regional Airports Ltd put the airport up for sale.
The airport was bought on 2 December 2008 by the Stobart Group for £21 million, becoming part of the Stobart Air division of the Stobart Group, which also operates Carlisle Airport.
Following a council consultation with the local population, a planning application for a runway extension of 300 m (984 ft), to increase the usable runway length to 1,799 m (5,902 ft) and providing upgraded navigational aids and lighting infrastructure, was submitted to Southend Borough Council 13 October 2009. Planning permission for a was granted by Southend Borough Council 20 January 2010. Initially subject to an Article 14 Direction, after due consideration by the Government this was withdrawn 19 March 2010, meaning it would not be subject to a Public Inquiry.[19] A Section 106 agreement is required to be entered into between the airport and local councils.
On 1 June 2010 Stobart Group took a £100 million loan from M & G Investments, partly in order to fund airport construction.[20],and in July 2010, an application for a judicial review of the planning application,[21] which was dismissed on 2 February 2011.[22]
On 23 September 2010, the airport received the Airport Achievement Award 2010/11 from the European Regions Airline Association[23]
A replacement air traffic control tower became operational on 21 March 2011, and the start of daily services by Aer Arann on 27 March 2011 to Galway and Waterford in Ireland, marked the return of year round scheduled passenger services to the airport.
A new on-site rail station opened 18 July 2011, (the official opening by Minister for Transport Theresa Villiers MP was on Wednesday 21st September 2011) [24], and a new road - replacing Eastwoodbury Lane in the area that the runway will be extended over - opened on 1 September 2011.
Year-round scheduled passenger services re-started 27 March 2011 when Aer Arann started daily services to Galway and Waterford in Ireland.[25][26]
On 12 October 2011 Aer Arann announced that it would cease to operate the twice daily Galway route for the Winter season due to falling passenger numbers.It hopes to resume flights for the 2012 Summer Season.The Waterford route will continue to operate as normal.
As of Autumn 2011, Flybe have ceased to operate its service to Jersey due to easyJet taking on the route with a 4 x weekly frequency.
The airport is on a major upgrade programme that will facilitate the reintroduction of a range of intra-European passenger flights. This dovetails with Government aims outlined in the White Paper on airport development and the strategic Thames Gateway development, that envisage the airport playing an important role in travel to the 2012 London Olympics in east London.
Construction of a new terminal adjacent to the station is well advanced and due to be opened in early 2012.[27] Construction of a 4 Star Holiday Inn has commenced [28] on land adjacent to the airport entrance, and is due to open in July 2012[29]
EasyJet announced in June 2011 that they had signed a ten-year contract with Stobart Group, to operate (commencing April 2012) around 70 flights per week from Southend initially, with the three Airbus A319 aircraft to be based at the airport.[30][31] Flights to eight European destinations — Alicante, Amsterdam, Belfast, Barcelona, Faro, Ibiza, Majorca and Malaga will operate. In September 2011, Easyjet announced a ninth route from Southend to Jersey, which will start in May 2012.
| Airlines | Destinations |
|---|---|
| Aer Arann | Waterford |
| EasyJet | Alicante [begins 5 April],[32] Amsterdam [begins 2 April],[32] Barcelona [begins 2 April],[32] Belfast-International [begins 2 April],[32] Faro [begins 5 April],[32] Ibiza [begins 28 April],[32] Jersey [begins 2 May],[33] Málaga [begins 1 May],[32] Palma de Mallorca [begins 1 May][32] |
| Jet2.com for Ford Motor Company | Charter: Cologne-Bonn [begins 9 January], Craiova [begins 9 January] |
| Mistral Air | Charter: Milan-Bergamo [begins 17 June] |
Southend Airport movements comprise mainly scheduled passenger, charter and business flights, cargo flights, pilot training (in both fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters), and recreational flying. The airport is run by London Southend Airport Co Ltd, which employs over 100 people.
Southend Airport has a Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) Ordinary Licence (Number P893) that allows flights for the public transport of passengers or for flying instruction as authorised by the licensee (London Southend Airport Company Limited).[34]
The airport provides RFF Cat 5 between 07:00 – 21:30, RFF Cat 1 between 21:30 – 07:00. RFF Cat 6 is available at short notice on request.
Regular scheduled services are flights operated by Aer Arann twice a day to Waterford, and Galway in the summer. EasyJet begin flights in April 2012 to around 10 destinations.
Southend Airport has an excellent weather record and is used by airlines as a diversion alternative when adverse weather or incidents close other London airports.
Aircraft ground handling at the airport is provided by the airport-owned Southend Handling, who also assist companies, groups or individuals in chartering aircraft to or from the airport.
Annual seafront airshows off Southend and Clacton fronts result in extra aircraft being based at the airport for the duration of the displays.
Companies located at and around the airport employ over 1,000 skilled workers, providing services such as engineering and maintenance work on airliners, including re-spraying, refurbishment, upgrades to avionics, manufacture of aircraft seats and the installation of new or hush-kitted engines.
Heavy maintenance services and hangarage for aircraft up to Boeing 757 and Airbus A321 size are available. ATC Lasham is the major engineering company at the airport that can trace its roots to Aviation Traders Engineering Limited (ATEL) – founded by the late Sir Freddie Laker – and Heavylift Engineering. Other companies include ACL Aviation Support (ACLAS), Aero Partners, Air Livery (aircraft re-finishing), Avionicare, IAVNA (airport visual aids), Inflite Engineering (previously World Aviation Support and BAF Engineering), IPECO/Benson-Lund, Isenburg Engineering, Jetcare UK (a subsidiary of Avionicare) and JRB Aviation.
Southend Airport is also home to Avro Vulcan XL426 (one of three remaining). It is owned by the Vulcan Restoration Trust,[35] a registered charity, that keeps the systems and engines of XL426 serviceable, allowing it to be occasionally taxied - it is not airworthy.
A British United Air Ferries Carvair is seen transporting Auric Goldfinger and his car in the 1964 James Bond film Goldfinger from Southend Airport to Geneva. In the scene, filmed in 1963, Sean Connery as Bond drives his Aston Martin DB5 in to Southend Airport (having tracked Goldfinger's Rolls Royce to the airport), and takes it to Switzerland in pursuit of Goldfinger via the Carvair service. The airport also appears in the 2001 film Mike Bassett: England Manager. It is shown when the team emerge to joyous crowds upon their arrival from the FIFA World Cup in Brazil.
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