But, apparently, if the runway were widened SEN could increase the declared distances of the length that already exists.
Why does width affect length? That railway line is already in spitting distance of the runway.
Talking about width, this is from the airports own website
The runway may potentially be considered “narrow” for use by certain larger Code C aircraft (e.g. A319 etc.,) – check with the aircraft flight manual as necessary.
Might it be the case that some airlines with code C aircraft would not allow diversions into Southend due to its non standard runway width?
No one can deny Southend has a very bright future. I see its future as maybe a London City overspill airport attracting the 50-100 seat aircraft market with airlines that either can’t get the slots they want or don’t want to pay London City fees. Heathrow and now Gatwick are also turning their backs on the smaller aircraft so it is key that Southend targets this market.
I think Stobart was as surprised as everyone else that Easyjet based some aircraft there but Stobart needs to diversify with a selection of airlines or it will end up like Stansted with Ryanair holding all the cards.