WHAT: Clearly Southend Council got a shocking deal for the rate payers. |In 2015 Abertis sold a controlling stake in Luton for £502 million to Aena. This for a lease that ends in 2031. On top of that the airport operator pays a fee of around £2.63 per passenger to the council. Southend council is earning the equivalent of 14p per passenger which will reduce as more passengers pass through the airport.