Especially as RBS have a big presence in Southend with their office block close to the foot of runway 23.

Reported that Ryanair & Transavia have expressed interest but limited to only 11 movements a day currently although that will rise. Zero chance that anything to SEN.

Technically it is now Natwest Offices. It has been rebranded over the last couple of years.

Night Flights
 

The gripers are griping!
http://www.echo-news.co.uk/news/1803...g-us-sleeping/

I'm not at all surprised that there are complaints and Stobart's claim that "each (B734F) flight has the same noise emittance as a normal Ryanair flight ..." will not be believed unfortunately. Some I have spoken with at SEN reckon the noise nuisance is perceived as being worse than the B738. I think Stobart will at least have to publish the Noise Certificate figures for the aircraft in use on these freight flights.

The engine option on the 400F and the 800 is relevant as is the take-off weight but actual noise difference should be minimal with the 400F being quieter at some take-off weights. However we are talking about "perceived" noise, not actual noise, and a 1am or 3am aircraft movement is always going to sound louder than the equivalent aircraft movement at 1pm or 3pm. Residents can apply for free triple glazing I believe if they can prove a noise nuisance.

Warwick Brady has said today that they are looking to build a new arrivals terminal and a 2nd hotel at Southend.

The results are also out. Profit per passenger before taking into account the cost of attracting Whizz and Ryanair (and assuming the easyjet sweetener has all been paid), the cost of finance interest and the cost of building the airport, is below £4. The airport needs this to be above £8 to make a profit. i.e. in excess of a 100% improvement.

With dwindling resources and having mortgaged the entirety of the Eddie Stobart shares they hold, the board has decided not to pay shareholders a dividend going forward until such time as the airport becomes profitable. What little cash they have left is to be invested in the 2nd hotel and new arrivals terminal. This is the final gamble!

As an aside, the airport is focussing entirely on the departure experience which in itself is not surprising, as it is departing pax that spend money which goes to the airport. However the inbound pax experience is important and to date I've found the queuing at immigration and the luggage belt unacceptably long for a small airport. Hopefully the upcoming investment programme will allow a budget for the installation of automatic passport readers.

Interim-Results-Presentation-2019-FINAL-2.pdf

Page 23 is the key to what is being talked about

Looks like the Jet Centre will become the arrivals area. I suppose relocation to the north side is possible - Inglenook fireplace and all.

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I think someone's had one too many.

https://www.echo-news.co.uk/news/180...ssengers-year/

Had to check that it wasn't 1st April......

Are they going to buy the retail park and the golf course........? Five million pax per year should be the maximum, I'd have thought......

I think Stobart are struggling to make much profit out of SEN and are their finances are somewhat stretched. Not dissimiliar to Luton airport about 15 years ago

If the airport were to be sold by Stobart to a bigger company with deeper pockets and greater ability at extracting profit from SEN, then I imagine money could be found to buy the retail park or golf course. I very much doubt the retail park owner would object to a big pile of cash or the individual tenants being bought out of their leases when the average High Street is struggling so much

Lots of local support for the airport up to where it is now but I think they will struggle to get the same support for further expansion especially since the arrival of Ryanair and the "global logistics partner" causing more disturbance in this last year than any of the previous, post runway extension, years. 2-3 million passengers is probably about right. Anything over 10m isn't do able anyway under the current restrictions.

I note the Jet Centre CEO has changed. Does anyone know what has happened to the previous incumbent Stephen Grimes?

Even 10m is realistically unachievable under the present movement limit. 10m could only be reached if all movements were by fully laden 189-seat aircraft e.g. B737-800 or a mix of bigger and smaller aircraft to get the same result. 53,300 x 189 = 10,073,700. Clearly that is not going to happen. What would be a more realistic upper limit - 6-7m perhaps ?

The only way to achieve a greater figure of course would be to get the movement cap raised. That does not seem to me to be likely, and recent events cannot have helped.

If in 5 or 10 years time, Southend is handling 6m pax per year, there will be some very intense lobbying to raise the limits at Southend