https://www.echo-news.co.uk/news/232...-adds-flights/

Southend Airport up for sale. Esken selling off parts of the business.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/artic...begins-breakup

I have been predicting this for years.

https://www.essexlive.news/news/esse...owners-8205256

Hardly a sustainable business model if you rely on over capacity at other airports in order to attract increased revenues, always open to market volatility!

Does the sale also include other aspects of their aviation business such as their ground handling business?

Let's hope it stays as an airport or it will likely be a second Vulcan destined for the breakers yard.

In the early 1990s, London City airport had a few tough years before finally coming good. I seem to recall during this period there was some speculation as to whether LCY should be closed

Unfortunately, I fear there are more similarities between Southend and Manston in terms of commercial operations then there are Southend and City.

I just don't see what the USP of SEN would be unless the other airports are full.

One thing to bear in mind is that any future owner of SEN will likely not be constrained by Esken's current policy that any airline/route deals made must be on normal commercial terms. In other words each deal must produce a sound commercial return to Esken from its commencement.

This was a necessity to obtain sufficient outside funding to keep SEN running and replaced what appeared to be the previous negotiating policy of offering very attractive commercial terms which included substantial marketing assistance and other incentives. The ability to reinstate something similar under new owners may result in more successful negotiations with potential airlines in the future.

All this is speculative on my part but is based on previous Esken Stock Exchange notifications and statements in Stobart Annual Results over the past few years. These inform the background to my suggestion of that possibility.

People here are forgetting that the airport is owned by Southend Council and not Esken and is leased to the airport operator. They can sell the remaining years of the lease under its section 106 agreement and that's it.

https://saeninfo.files.wordpress.com...t-att19220.pdf

So EZY have no inducements to operate from SEN?

Also, no mention of Carlisle in the recent announcements - do they have plans, or have they just forgotten?! Based on past performance, I know where my money is! :ok:

"The sale of the airport would include the company's logistics provider Star Handling as well."

Why does the Ryanair app have Brest and Bilbao as booking options with no dates?

Just a glitch I should imagine.

Almost 100% certain that this US registered Dash 8 on a ferry didn't have radio equipment with the required 8.33Khz spacing for European Ops. Will only be usuable on some frequencies if not. Massive oversight by the ferry company.

Ryanair are very slow (and that's being kind to them) at removing routes from their website and app when they cease flying routes. More surprising is they sometimes forget to add a route to the app even when it's being actively sold on the website
I believe that as of spring 2020, FR intended to fly these 2 routes for summer 2020, but I think Southend-Brest was canned before lockdown was suspended for peak summer 2020

https://www.echo-news.co.uk/news/233...et-dependance/

Maybe the new owners need to take a leaf out of Blackpool’s book? Admit defeat, abandon any thoughts that there is money to be made from terminal operations, reduce staff numbers due to no terminal and focus on the rest of the assets.

With due respect I don't see any relevant similarity between SEN and BLK. In the years prior to it closing its passenger terminal the latter never saw sufficient pax numbers to suggest it could be anything but borderline in terms of profitability. Given the right circumstances SEN has shown that it could generate 2mppa. Their problem was that circumstances changed almost overnight due to Covid which restructured the airline landscape at LON airports and released slots elsewhere, thus the current regrowth is soaking up those slots. SEN's location dictates that it will rarely be an airline's first choice for LON but first choices may become rare again in 2024. What I would agree on is that the price it fetches is will be based upon its proven performance in certain circumstances and its potential to grow again, meaning that its sale value will be less than other LON airports would have. In my opinion that makes it far from unsaleable and a new owner may see opportunities for other aviation activities to be developed/revived alongside the passenger terminal revenues.

I don't think it's far fetched to think that SEN may have grown its pax numbers over the past three years beyond the 2mppa had it not been for Covid.

However it’s a big risk for potential owners knowing that the airports business model is underpinned heavily on over capacity elsewhere and the possibility that this can change at a moments notice