Southend-2

[Harry Wayfarers]

Originally Posted by SEN Observer

If my memory serves me correctly the now defunct Maersk Air used to run a service from Billund to Southend using Dash 7 and occasionally, when the load warranted it, putting on a 737. I may be wrong but I always thought that this route was quite successful. I heard, when the service was withdrawn, that Maersk blamed the council (the then operators) as they were full of promises about forthcoming improvements to the airport but nothing ever happened. If it is believed that Scandinavia could be a viable proposition for SEN would this not be a route for Stobart/Flybe to consider?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maersk_Air

Changes in European Community rules in 1984 allowed any carrier to operate intra-European routes, granted that they connected two regional airports. Maersk laid its eyes on Billund Airport, which was centrally located in Jutland and was classified as a regional airport. It was already a popular base for charter flights. London was a favored destinations, but all the four primary airports were all categorized as primary airports. To exploit the new regulations, Maersk identified London Southend Airport, which was classified as a secondary airport. Maersk inaugurated the route on 29 November 1984 with two round trips, using Dash 7s. Due to the distance from the city Maersk could only market it as "London" if they included an onwards ticket with a train. The route carried about 12,000 passengers annually and failed to make a profit