You have to question what are the principal reasons some carriers are not prepared to establish a base at SEN?
I think the point I'm trying to make is that nobody - absolutely nobody - sees having a presence at SEN as a must.
Think that hits the nail on the head. Even SEN biggest fans will probably admit that operating out of SEN is unlike operating out of the other London Airports.
The pros are no slot restrictions, a railway station and and comfortable terminal with no overcrowding although Stobart would be keen to change that situation.
The cons are many including a short narrow runway which will always limit the airports appeal and rule out many airlines even if they wanted to give the airport a try.
No public transport during the all important first and last wave, which is a major issue for non UK based passengers.
The airport is not 24 hour for the airlines and nor is the terminal.
The runway is CAT 1, which while this might not be a massive issue will have an impact.
Not a great track record of keeps routes.
Then there is availability of other airports to absorb expansion and I think this is the killer at the moment. Much has been written here about spare capacity at Southend but that same spare capacity exists at some other London Airports and more is on the way.
Oh for a wonderful Southend experience at my own local airport but it isn't going to happen and the low cost airlines don't seem to care. What they see, and it surprises me, is an airport where there is proven demand despite passengers hating the place.
It is my opinion that Luton is only where it is today due to a lack of slots at Gatwick and Luton has got some of the spillover as has Stansted. That spill over hasn't reached Southend yet.
Monarch is no more so both Gatwick and Luton will be keen to replace that capacity. Both Luton and Stansted have more than enough spare capacity to keep Southend out of the picture for a few more years and Gatwick now also has slots available.
It is not all gloom though as I have already mentioned in the past. If an airline wanted to put in a fairly large presence in a single hit and SEN runway met their requirements the airport is the only airport that could offer a bunch of slots in a tight time period during peak periods. All the other London airports could only offer random slots over a longer period.
I think this is Southend's best hope of attracting a new airline as random slot requirements will be picked up in the main by the other London Airports.