Originally Posted by
Expressflight
asdf1234
I think your estimate of just under 1.1m for 2017 will prove quite near the mark, although it might only scrape past 1m if the DUB, MAN and GLA fail to meet expectations.
If the target is still 2m for 2018 it will require a substantial new airline presence plus a 4th easyJet aircraft to achieve that surely.
I think 1.09 million passengers rings a bell for 2014 so SEN could be back to where it was 3 years ago, which is not good when compared to the gains that Stansted and Luton have put on in the last 3 years that runs into millions of new passengers.
There is a clear reluctance for airlines to take a serious look at Southend. This could well be down to the amount of failed routes the airport has had and the marginal nature of operating from this airport.
The fact that Southend is on the coast and that potential new passengers would not view a coastal airport as being a London airport will not help. No motorway running past the front door will not help matters either and nor would the morning and late night train situation.
That said Southend has a good reputation for ease of use but that is not swaying passengers to head to the airport in large numbers.
I am not actually convinced Easyjet would hang around Southend when the next downturn hits the travel industry. When passengers don't fill aircraft consolidation takes place which is usually achieved by ending flights from smaller airports to help out their bigger operations at larger airports.
From memory EasyJet dropped its 4th aircraft from Southend in a rising market. Maybe that speaks volumes that Southend has yet to address and maybe can't address?