Interesting quote from Andrew Tinkler in the Cumberland News:
“Southend Airport is on 360 acres and at the moment it supports 1,400 jobs, all of them linked to aviation services: things like maintaining and refurbishing planes. There are 40 different companies based there. Carlisle Airport could be a mirror image of Southend Airport in the north, but with cheaper assets. The airport here is 460 acres. It could be a regional centre for aviation services, with even more potential than Southend Airport.”