Reading between the lines of Esken statements over the past 6 months it looks pretty clear that they had decided to close terminal for the Winter so they probably notified Wizz of that fact some time ago. I don't know how many staff are being kept on but they'll probably want to maintain a core of essential staff if the closure is for only 4 or 5 months. I understand that they will be doing the equivalent of what we used to call, in my ATEL days at quiet times, 'hangar maintenance' during the closure period.

Esken still like to maintain the impression that they are doing all this in consultation with their 'customer airlines' in preparation for a Spring 2021 restart. How much of that is window dressing we shall see in the fullness of time. I've heard no rumours of airlines ready and waiting to commence flights for S2022 but my industry contacts are fewer these days than previously was the case.

All as I said before but some here don't want to hear.
WZZ are in no rush to return, still busy planning Cardiff and hopes of more through LGW.
Maybe 2023 will bring better times!
Can you book RYR in 2022 from SEN?

Smart move by SEN raising landing fees unless you are C152 training? Not bashing it just thought it justified a discussion?
Reminds me of what they did with Channel Express years ago and that resulted in see you later, off to STN!

My understanding is that Ryanair is finished at SEN.
They need easyJet back or Wizz to open a base.
If Wizz is interested in DSA and CWL, I can't see why they wouldn't go to SEN and capture the string demand that has existed on the key sun routes that that are mostly used by the local catchment on that side of London. Good work for 3 or 4 320s; ALC, AGP, PMI, IBZ, FAO, AMS (if slots could be found), CFU and a few others selectively would be where the demand lies. They'd have this secured for themselves, IE FR and U2 would be unlikely to join them.

In this uncertain world the only certainty is that Easyjet won’t be back anytime soon. They spent years at Southend introducing and ending routes. If Southend was profitable they would have stayed.

Complete :mad: as you well know. Yes some routes came and went but that’s no different to any other base. There was a set of core routes that lasted as you also know. That’s not to say they are coming back anytime soon for obvious reasons but all the same no need to post porkies.

New published prices doesn’t mean this is what the airlines will actually pay.

https://www.echo-news.co.uk/news/196...es-steep-rise/

The likes of WUK will want max use of their aircraft so likely to return to base after midnight, how can these charges encourage them to come? Unless a special deal is done.

EI-BUD

RYR and EZY don't seem to agree with you.

SWBKCB

The seven routes that EI-BUD mentioned generated nearly 1 million pax at SEN in 2019, that being a 57% increase on 2018 after RYR joined the party at the end of March 2019.

Those pax were charged according to the airlines' usual fares policies and found SEN an airport preferable to the other LON alternatives. It would be reasonable to assume that RYR were trying to poach some of EZY's customers by virtue of price in their first year at SEN and yet the numbers grew by 57% overall. That demonstrates a strong indication that the market likes SEN as a departure point. The along comes Covid and everything, not just the airline market, is turned upside down.

I believe that EZY saw the enormity of what was happening and wanted rapidly to control their bottom line so closed their SEN, STN and NCL bases. You single out SEN with the inference of its being closed due to a suggested lack of yield; are you suggesting the same applied at STN?

The departure of RYR is harder to understand as MOL suggested in the middle of last year that the SEN operation would be increased when things returned to normal and their departure caught everyone on the hop.

I can see no reason why an airline such as Wizz would not want to take advantage of the opportunity that SEN currently represents, assuming they believe that S2022 will see a strong rebound in the leisure market, by mounting a meaningful operation from SEN. I'm sure that Esken will be keen to do a deal with someone to restore at least the main holiday destinations being served from SEN.

It is true though, as LTNman observes, that a closure time of 2300 makes it difficult to maximise aircraft utilisation with a SEN-based fleet.

I'm not sure what point you are trying to make - I didn't single out SEN, I replied to a comment on the SEN thread about the prospects of future operations out of SEN.

The fact that two of the largest airlines in Europe used to have bases at SEN operating the sorts of routes listed and now don't, would suggest that they don't think there is "good work" for 3 or 4 a/c at SEN.

SEN seemed to market itself as the overflow airport for London. Maybe their future prosperity still lies in that direction except STN has permission to add millions of passengers while the owners of LTN are due to give themselves planning permission for limited growth with no questions asked.

Tough times ahead but SEN still has a regional market where the airport will always be first choice for many passengers.

LTNman

I cannot really see SEN benefiting from any LON overflow for a couple of years at least and I think it will have to rely, as you infer, upon its attractiveness to travellers within its natural catchment. I tried to demonstrate that that market could prove attractive to another LoCo or, even as is being seriously suggested by some at SEN, to EZY again. I don't share that optimism myself but we live in strange times do we not?

I do remember being told from a reliable source that following the launch of the initial EZY routes the airline found the booking patterns more in line with a regional airport than a LON one. Maybe in 'normal' times SEN couldn't really hope to enjoy a sustainable market greater than that, despite all its efforts to reach beyond it. The size of that market is still considerable though.

Expressflight

Regional airport no more.

We we are talking about London Southend City Airport.

Expressflight

Would you care to elaborate, without breaking any confidences, on what sort of characteristics were different between Southend as a regional airport and Luton / Gatwick ?
I have an idea in mind, but would be interested to hear from the horse's friends's mouth in his/her own words

I would be more than happy to elaborate if I could but, unfortunately, my friend was telling me only what he had been told by one of the EZY team; that "somewhat to their surprise booking patterns were more in the nature of those they encountered at their regional airports than at their London airports." As far as I can recall that was his approximate wording but I cannot seek clarification as, sadly, he has since died. I would be interested to hear any ideas that you may have on the subject.

So what does a regional booking pattern compared to a London airport actually mean?

Generally books further in advance and less last minute bookings

I recall in the heady days of 2019, Warwick Brady within months blew away sober targets of 5 million pax pa, doubling to 10 million pax pa, then a totally idiotic and imbecilic 20 million.

I believe (despite everything) that SEN has a rosy future. It will however require a little more intelligence from those calling the shots.

ASL flights
 

Notice that the ASL / Amazon freighter operation has dropped from four to just one per day