Southend further delayed
It's disappointing to see yet another delay in the Airport's plan to become successful again.
I can't quite see what Rochford Council is going to achieve with it's environmental impact review, as whatever happens road traffic in the area is going to increase, whether the Airport is allowed to expand or the whole lot closed down and concreted over with thousands of new homes and factories. Only by leaving the whole site as an open space would there be no impact on the local environment, and we all know that's not going to happen.
Regarding potential routes, I've always thought of Spain and Portugal as being ideal destinations from Southend, given the number of villa owners/timeshare holders/ retired people who live within the Airport's catchment area, which I see extending as far west as Romford and East London. I think this type of passenger should initially be the target of the Airports aspirations before trying to lure the mass holiday market.
In view of this, I have long thought Flightline should try operating services out of Southend to the Med with their 146's, and perhaps now the Ford contract seems to be going smoothly, who knows if they might be considering expanding their scheduled service activity.
Cheers
Southender