Southend-2

[ericlday]

Still plenty of us here in Tenerife......but with only 14 new cases yesterday I'm in no hurry !!!!

[stewyb]

Sibiu Wizz ending, going year round from Luton!

[tophat27dt]

Sibiu Wizz ending, going year round from Luton!
We knew this 6 weeks ago.

[stewyb]

We knew this 6 weeks ago.

ok my apologies

[tophat27dt]

ok my apologies
No problems

[asdf1234]

Was only a matter of time. Very expensive business having full ATC coverage.
Radar Approaches have been suspended for 3 months until 16th July.

[Red Four]

The NOTAM does not say "radar approaches suspended", only that SRA's, along with primary radar, are not available.
I would expect that Radar vectored ILS (or to a visual approach) are still available during radar published hours, and operators would typically not notice any difference inside CAS.
So no big deal, ASDF1234.

[asdf1234]

The NOTAM does not say "radar approaches suspended", only that SRA's, along with primary radar, are not available.
I would expect that Radar vectored ILS (or to a visual approach) are still available during radar published hours, and operators would typically not notice any difference inside CAS.
So no big deal, ASDF1234.
I should have posted the NOTAM:

EGTT/QPIAU/I/NBO/A/000/999/5134N00042E005
SRA NOT AVBL

The point is this reflects a reduction in ATC service which is in line with the airport's need to reduce costs.

[Red Four]

How do you deduce it is to "reduce costs" from the NOTAM - it could be for technical reasons, ie: no primary radar, or lack of radar maintenance due factors outside of LSA's control.
The ATC service was reduced some time ago with the afternoon closures of the airport, already mentioned in the thread.

[tophat27dt]

How do you deduce it is to "reduce costs" from the NOTAM - it could be for technical reasons, ie: no primary radar, or lack of radar maintenance due factors outside of LSA's control.
The ATC service was reduced some time ago with the afternoon closures of the airport, already mentioned in the thread.
Correct. The primary radar is unserviceable and is awaiting parts. An SRA is not important because the airport has ILS on both runways. Radar vectoring to the ILS is not an SRA.

[Barling Magna]

High quality drone footage of SEN showing the impressively well parked EZY airframes:

https://tinyurl.com/ybfb8ehh

[asdf1234]

This from the Irish Independent...Connect Airways, the holding company behind Dublin-based Stobart Air, which operates the Aer Lingus Regional service, has fallen into administration in the UK, the Irish Independent has learned.

The move is linked to the recent collapse of Flybe. UK-based Flybe was also part of Connect Airways.

The administration means that accountancy firm EY now controls Connect and 49pc of Stobart Air. The other 51pc of Stobart Air is owned by its more than 400 staff.

Connect Airways is 30pc-owned by the listed UK Stobart Group. Virgin Travel Group, a subsidiary of Virgin Atlantic, also has a 30pc stake, while US firm Cyrus Equity Partners owns 40pc.

Yesterday, Stobart Group, whose CEO is Warwick Brady, warned investors that it’s evaluating how to manage liabilities it has to Stobart Air.



But with confirmation to the Irish Independent from EY that Connect is in administration, it means Stobart Group is now on the hook for guarantees given in relation to a number of aircraft leases.

A subsidiary of Stobart Group, Propius, engineered a sale and leaseback of eight ATR turborprop aircraft to German firm Goal in 2017. The aircraft are used for the Aer Lingus Regional service. Lease agreements under the deal total $15.4m a year and are for 10 years, it was reported at the time.

There’s an option to terminate the agreement in 2023, although the trading update issued by Stobart Group yesterday suggests that the guarantees could be significantly more material.

The current Aer Lingus Regional franchise agreement Stobart Air has with Aer Lingus ends in 2022.

Propius received $62.7m from the sale of the aircraft, according to reports when the deal was done. However, it’s unclear where those proceeds ultimately ended up following the creation of Connect Airways in 2019.
In a statement to the Irish Independent today, EY said:“Alan Hudson, Joanne Robinson, Simon Edel and Lucy Winterborne of EY’s Restructuring team were appointed joint administrators of Connect Airways Limited on March 10, 2020,” it said.

“Owned by a consortium of companies, Connect is a holding company that was set up in January 2019 to assist with the acquisition of the airline Flybe. Connect has no day-to-day trading operations itself.”
This is not great news for the owners of SEN. They have no cash available to them, no operating income due to CV, and now the administrators of Connect will be chasing them for the lease payments for the six ATRs totalling £150m over the next 10 years.

The Stobart share price has tanked meaning that they have little recourse to sensible debt options and the mortgaged Eddie Stobart shares are currently worthless. The leases and the ESL mortgage add up to £200m worth of liabilities.

I dont believe the airport is worth anything like the £800m quoted in the press; that now seems to have been an "accidently" leaked story to reassure investors and the Connect administrators. Airports sell for a multiple of EBITDA earnings and whilst the results are not yet out, I'd wager EBITDA is either zero or no more than £1-2m.

We could be witnessing the beginning of the end of Stobart's ownership of Southend Airport.

Latest news from the Irish press"THE UK's Stobart Group has about $100m (€92m) of liabilities connected to Aer Lingus Regional operator Stobart Air, the Irish Independent understands.

The previously undisclosed scale of the liabilities come as it's engaged in talks to acquire struggling Dublin-based Stobart Air and Propius, both of which it once owned outright.

Stobart Air and Propius are now part of Connect Airways, in which Stobart Group has a 30pc stake, and which is in administration in the UK."

[Barling Magna]

The UK’s Stobart Group has sealed a deal to buy a 49pc stake – and effective control – of Dublin-based Stobart Air for between £300,000 and £400,000:

https://www.independent.ie/business/uk-group-agrees-to-buy-49pc-stake-of-stobart-air-for-over-340000-39151870.html

[asdf1234]

The UK’s Stobart Group has sealed a deal to buy a 49pc stake – and effective control – of Dublin-based Stobart Air for between £300,000 and £400,000:

https://www.independent.ie/business/uk-group-agrees-to-buy-49pc-stake-of-stobart-air-for-over-340000-39151870.html

Stobart Group were caught between the proverbial rock and a hard place. If they are successful in buying back the companies they will have to add the circa £100m liabilities to their balance sheet. Then they will have the ongoing cost of maintaining the aircraft in a world where no-one is flying. But this is seemingly better than crystalizing the liabilities now as they are cash poor with no aeronautical revenues.

If the buy back happens they will have pushed the problem further down the line but it certainly hasn't gone away. At the time I thought the disposal of the aircraft and their leases to Connect was a genius move. I'm sure Stobart could not have envisaged then that they would end up having to pay money to reacquire the problem!

[SWBKCB]

The other 51pc of Stobart Air is still owned by its staff.

So how does this work - last time I checked, 51% was greater than 49?

[Tagron]

So how does this work - last time I checked, 51% was greater than 49?
In fact the Stobart Air Employees Trust controls 60% of the voting rights and Stobart Group 40% according to press reports. This arrangement appears to have been set up in February as a means of complying with EU ownership rules post-Brexit when Connect appeared still to be viable. I have no idea how successfully it will work in practice. Careful selection of trustees perhaps ? And what is the ownership of Propius Leasing in the aftermath of these changes ?

[asdf1234]

So how does this work - last time I checked, 51% was greater than 49?
This news item doesn't explain how you get control with 49% but I can see why they don't want more than this as it may affect the airlines EU domiciled status.

Otherwise the article confirms the cost of the aircraft leases and the term of the agreement with the national carrier. This places a huge finamcial burden on the Group. "Many observers believed that Stobart Air (https://www.irishtimes.com/topics/topics-7.1213540?article=true&tag_company=Stobart+Air), which flies regional services for Aer Lingus (https://www.irishtimes.com/topics/topics-7.1213540?article=true&tag_organisation=Aer+Lingus), would take the same step and seek to have an examiner appointed at some point. That airline’s situation is more complicated than that of Cityjet.

UK transport business Stobart Group (https://www.irishtimes.com/topics/topics-7.1213540?article=true&tag_company=Stobart+Group) bought it from examinership in 2010 when it was called Aer Arann (https://www.irishtimes.com/topics/topics-7.1213540?article=true&tag_company=Aer+Arann), renaming it several years later. Stobart Group sold the airline early last year to Connect Airways (https://www.irishtimes.com/topics/topics-7.1213540?article=true&tag_company=Connect+Airways), which the transport group established along with Richard Branson’s Virgin and other investors.

Connect was set up to rescue Flybe (https://www.irishtimes.com/topics/topics-7.1213540?article=true&tag_company=Flybe), a British regional airline, and help reposition Stobart Group as an aviation business. However, Flybe and Connect are now in administration, a corporate rescue system used in the UK, where the companies are registered.

Stobart Group is reportedly buying 49 per cent of Stobart Air back in a move that could give it control of the airline, which is based in the Republic, and therefore not part of either administration process.

This is all very well, but it doesn’t really solve several problems. Stobart Air leases its aircraft for about €14 million a year, but is now earning little revenue from flying.

Stobart Group guarantees those lease payments along with other liabilities, which means that it has to pay creditors should the airline be unable to do so. The bill for this could threaten the transport business’s own future.

At the same time, Stobart Air will have to rely on support from its biggest customer, Aer Lingus. The contract between the pair is due for renewal by 2022. Just how Stobart Group’s purchase of a stake in the airline answers any of these questions is not clear. Either way, Stobart Air is facing into a fair degree of turbulence."

[rowly6339]

I really don’t get why people continue to call Stobart Group a transport business when it is classed as a infrastructure and support business.

[ericlday]

I suppose it gets wrongly connected with more recognisable trucking name of Eddie.

[Buster the Bear]

Where has the cash come from?

[SWBKCB]

I really don’t get why people continue to call Stobart Group a transport business when it is classed as a infrastructure and support business.

Cos they operate airports and have interests in airlines?

[asdf1234]

Where has the cash come from?
A quick look at the November figures (latest available accounting snapshot) suggests that the owners of the airport had £7m in cash and were burning through a little over £1m in cash monthly. We can assume that today they have zero cash. They do however have a big financing facility that is partly drawdown and the headroom on that in November was £29m. We know they had to put cash into Flybe via Connect to the tune of £9m so remaining credit facility will now be £20m or less. Revenue is now zero at the airport and a mild winter most probably didn't help their energy business generate much revenue.

Buying back the aircraft leasing business and Stobart Air is reported to be costing well below £1m. But with it comes annual aircraft leasing costs of £14m. So the headroom in the credit facility is now spoken for this year.

Adding to their woes is the performance of (or lack thereof) the Eddie Stobart shares. The airport owners have a large investment still in the trucking business and mortgaged their shares in it to raise circa £50m in cash, which has all been spent. In November they valued the shares at 64p each. They are in fact worth 8p each putting a huge £24.5m dent in the Stobart Group balance sheet.

It's time for a White Knight. There are 2 current shareholders who could play a pivotal role in digging the airport owners out of their debt hole. Tosca Fund has slowly been increasing their shareholding to become the largest shareholder and they now own nearly 19% of the company. They invest in regional property and if they see a future for the airport they might want to extend a helping hand during these troubled times. The other less likely saviour is Cyrus Capital Partners who funded the Connect Airways disaster and bought a sizeable minority chunk of Stobart Group.

The next 6 months will be very interesting for the owners of Southend Airport.

[Barling Magna]

Whilst revenue at SEN is obviously well down it is not zero. Revenue is being earned from landing and parking fees for ASL and JOTA and for the storage of aircraft.

[asdf1234]

Whilst revenue at SEN is obviously well down it is not zero. Revenue is being earned from landing and parking fees for ASL and JOTA and for the storage of aircraft.
It is effectively zero. Materiality rules apply in sensible discussions on the subject.

[Barling Magna]

Ah, well had you said effectively zero I wouldn't have replied. Thanks for clarifying. Nice to have some accountancy speak though.

[asdf1234]

Ah, well had you said effectively zero I wouldn't have replied. Thanks for clarifying. Nice to have some accountancy speak though.
Stobart Group have set out in detail this morning the full financial impact of taking Stobart Air and the leasing company back in house. The costs are substantially more than previously reported however the aim remains the same - to control the liabilities falling on Stobart Group due to the sale and leaseback deal of the ATRs.

[Barling Magna]

Indeed so.

"The Board has concluded that the best course of action financially for the Company and its shareholders is for it to buy back Stobart Air and Propius. This action will give Stobart Group effective control over the pre-existing obligations it has in respect of those businesses. The intention is that Stobart Group will continue its current positive dialogue with Aer Lingus to conclude a long-term franchise extension and ensure that the businesses are put on a sound financial footing.

Stobart Group's Aviation Strategy has not changed as a result of this transaction and the Company will work with Aer Lingus to identify a new financial partner to support the business for the future with Stobart Group exiting its involvement in a controlled way at the appropriate time.

Terms of the Transaction

The consideration for the Transaction is a payment of up to GBP8.55 million on the following basis:
-- An initial consideration of GBP300,000 payable in cash at completion;
-- A deferred consideration of GBP2 million to be paid no later than 15 December 2020.
-- A contingent deferred consideration up to a maximum of GBP6.25 million based on the equity value achieved (after disposal costs) on a realisation of value in respect of one or both of the businesses by Stobart Group prior to 31 December 2023"

[asdf1234]

[QUOTE=Barling Magna;10764881]Indeed so.

If I might just add the following from the report to the Stock Exchange which is vitally important in understanding the cash drain on the Group.

"Stobart Group expects to fund the operations of Stobart Air and Propius over the period through to achieving positive cash flow. The businesses have actively sought to reduce their cash requirements during the COVID-19 period and Stobart Group expects to fund in the order of €25 million (£21.88 million) over the next 12 months, including the lease payments referred to below."

[davidjohnson6]

Ryanair seem to have suspended sales of flights from Southend to Bergamo, Brest and Rodez. All other routes appear to remain on sale. One might conclude these routes are being cancelled

Anyone able to confirm ?

[LGS6753]

This may help:https://www.routesonline.com/news/38/airlineroute/291306/ryanair-3q20-uk-operations-as-of-16may20/

[DC3 Dave]

Chance to support a good cause and one lucky person will get to visit the tower.

https://www.echo-news.co.uk/news/18463498.southend-airport-set-host-huge-nhs-fundraiser-empty-runway/

[mmeteesside]

One of the Amazon Madrid rotations (1737/8) has recently been switched to Barcelona

[asdf1234]

The Stobart Group have sold the right to use the name Stobart back to Eddie Stobart Limited. Going forward this will have zero impact on the airport, other than a rebranding of the ground support equipment, but will require the newly acquired airline to change its name. I wonder if they will revert to Aer Arran?

[Expressflight]

The Stobart Group have sold the right to use the name Stobart back to Eddie Stobart Limited. Going forward this will have zero impact on the airport, other than a rebranding of the ground support equipment, but will require the newly acquired airline to change its name. I wonder if they will revert to Aer Arran?
That's an interesting development and the £10 million will come in handy. Mind you, the RNS statement says that some divisions may continue to use the Stobart name for up to 36 months through a licencing arrangement with Eddie Stobart Limited. Maybe they won't revert to Aer Arann as it's so easy to spell it incorrectly as you quite understandably demonstrated.

[SWBKCB]

£10 million will come in handy

£10M now as opposed to £3M a year until 2029?

[Expressflight]

£10M now as opposed to £3M a year until 2029?
The £3 million per annum was only payable if Eddie Stobart Limited meet certain performance targets and in view of their recent difficulties that may have been thought unlikely to happen any time soon.

[Red Four]

£10M now as opposed to £3M a year until 2029?
And it's £6m now, £2.5m Dec 2020, £1.5m within 36 months, just saying.

[AirportPlanner1]

For what it’s worth the CAA stats are out for April and show SEN handled 141 pax. 94 for Bucharest (assume most outbound) and 47 for Derry (average 3.36 pax per flight).

[Expressflight]

For what it’s worth the CAA stats are out for April and show SEN handled 141 pax. 94 for Bucharest (assume most outbound) and 47 for Derry (average 3.36 pax per flight).
Combined SEN and STN passenger numbers (moved to STN around 9th April) on the Derry route were just 166 in April!

[Red Four]

6 LDY rotations, last from SEN on 9th April, so average 3.9 per flight, not that it is of consequence.

[AirportPlanner1]

6 LDY rotations, last from SEN on 9th April, so average 3.9 per flight, not that it is of consequence.

Fair enough, though the SEN data showed 14 scheduled domestic movements.

The return of LDY got pushed back a couple of months as Wizz a couple of weeks both of which only a week or two ago had first services on 1st/2nd I think. LDY now 1/8 and Wizz from 16/6. Is there a list of other anticipated start dates?

[LTNman]

https://www.expressandstar.com/news/uk-news/2020/06/04/southend-airport-owner-stobart-group-to-raise-extra-120m/

Loses double to £170m as the owners seek a cash injection of £120m

Bosses said the main focus will be on London Southend Airport to “specifically design and implement an improved passenger experience for post-Covid 19 travel, making use of significant unutilised space and technology to enhance passenger confidence, while providing a cost-efficient base of operation to airlines”.

[Falcon666]

https://polaris.brighterir.com/public/stobart_plc/news/rns/story/r73eovx/export

Results up to 29/02 , copied from Carlisle thread( apologies)

Interesting read but I don’t think I would invest!

[asdf1234]

https://polaris.brighterir.com/public/stobart_plc/news/rns/story/r73eovx/export

Results up to 29/02 , copied from Carlisle thread( apologies)

Interesting read but I don’t think I would invest!

As usual, the accounts are clear as mud! However it seems that the Group have raised an additional £80m from shareholders this morning which will be used to pay back the overdraft. At which point a new overdraft of £40m will be offered on more expensive terms. They had to do this as a) they had run out of enough cash to see them through the year and b) the provider of the overdraft (or Revolving Credit Facility as it is known) has a full legal charge over the airport and could in theory take control of the airport due to the "going concern" issues.

I suspect the shareholders are not happy but faced with a "pay up or lose it all" scenario they took the least painful option. I think the accounts show that even with this new cash injection there is still the possibility that the company might run out of cash prior to the next year end.

Getting the airport profitable before the cash run out was always the dilemma facing the owners. Carlisle Airport will now be sacrificed to try and keep Southend alive. Let's hope they succeed but I have to admit the future looks very gloomy.

[Expressflight]

Jota Aviation

Bae146-300 freighter G-JOTD has flown an air test from SEN this morning after a couple of years parked up following its purchase by Jota. This will join G-JOTE and G-JOTF on the freighter fleet.

[rowly6339]

Looks like they are selling all property in the portfolio I.e. port of Weston in Runcorn, Carlisle airport and the rail and energy businesses so that they can fully focus on SEN.

[LTNman]

Eggs and basket comes to mind. Stobart will not be in control of the situation at SEN. It’s the airlines that will dictate expansion or contraction. Seeing that the airport is a minor base for Easyjet and Ryanair and with Wizz just dipping their toes into the water at Southend the airport will be very vulnerable in the short term so could Stobart run out of money?

Stobart’s plans for Southend was based on the fact that there was very little capacity left at other London Airports so Southend’s geography could be ignored. That won’t be the case in the short to medium term. Will it be the case that another company will ultimately benefit from Stobart’s vision and cash?

[asdf1234]

Eggs and basket comes to mind. Stobart will not be in control of the situation at SEN. It’s the airlines that will dictate expansion or contraction. Seeing that the airport is a minor base for Easyjet and Ryanair and with Wizz just dipping their toes into the water at Southend the airport will be very vulnerable in the short term so could Stobart run out of money?

Stobart’s plans for Southend was based on the fact that there was very little capacity left at other London Airports so Southend’s geography could be ignored. That won’t be the case in the short to medium term. Will it be the case that another company will ultimately benefit from Stobart’s vision and cash?

Sadly, the eggs will end up in just the SEN basket just as soon as the intention to dispose of the energy business is accomplished. The owner of the airport has been squeezed by circumstances that many will see as having been outside of its control.

The first of these was the eye-wateringly high costs of attracting airlines to the airport. The owners obviously subscribed to the "build it and they will come" business model based upon the London credentials of SEN. Whilst many saw the freebie thrown at EZY as justifiable, as this proved the potential of the proposition to other carriers, the route development costs kept on mounting, year on year. The whole idea underpinning SEN was that it was to provide runway capacity in a squeezed geographical marketplace with huge demand. To keep on paying huge premiums to airlines to operate flights from the airport has seriously dented the cashflow of the group.

The second was the Connect fiasco. I thought at the time it was a clever move as owning an airport and then running your own flights from your airport to push up pax numbers doesn't bode well. Dumping Stobart Air and all of the liabilities that came with it into Connect was a great move. But then having to take back all of those liabilities and pay for the pleasure could not have been part of the business forecasting at SEN HQ.

Whereas the airport needed time to grow pax numbers to a level where EBITDA per pax got somewhere near £10, the cash drain accelerated throughout 2018/19. Last year it was clear that the money tap was about to run dry. PAX numbers grew throughout the year but critically the profit on each passenger failed to get anywhere near the magic £10. The final straw was having to take Stobart Air back in house. The credit facility was maxed out and the bank was most probably pointing out to the owner's that they had the airport as full security to cover the overdraft. Without the owners putting more money in, the bank was sure to foreclose. It that had happened I am sure that the bank and the council would have been looking at housing on a site with excellent rail links into London.

All of the above happened before COVID-19. The latest accounts run to the end of February 2020. Connect was already a busted flush by that time, with COVID-19 the excellent face-saving excuse that Virgin needed to walk away.

The owners now have to make a go of the airport with reduced cash to spend. It is unlikely they can throw more route development funds at the problem so they will have to consolidate what they have and grow organically. There are hints in the latest communiques that they are going to target the very low cost sector and I'm guessing this will be Whizz and Eastern Europe. Whatever they do it will have to make an immediate impact. They have renegotiated a smaller credit facility but this will only provide funding for one more year at a push. If any more of the deferred liabilities get called in (interestingly the Group stood as guarantor to Eddie Stobart on a very large property lease) they will fail as a company in the coming year.

SEN is not unique in that no airport needs a problem like COVID-19 right now, but with shareholders having just rescued the company from the claws of the bank, getting pax numbers back and above previous levels within 12 months is crucial to the company's survival. How they do this with social distancing and travel quarantines in place is hard to fathom.

Whereas LTNman believes that if Stobart fail, another airport operator will jump in and reap the benefits of Stobart's investment over the years, I am not so sure. If Stobart fail, the bank owns the airport. It will be up to them to decide upon the fate of the site.

[davidjohnson6]

Do the council and voters want the land to remain as an airport, and how much will they insist on this ? Would central Govt 'call in' an application for change of use, and would such a change of use be allowed by Westminster ?

[asdf1234]

Do the council and voters want the land to remain as an airport, and how much will they insist on this ? Would central Govt 'call in' an application for change of use, and would such a change of use be allowed by Westminster ?
IF, and it's a big if, the current owners fail, and the ownership of the lease was put up for sale, the local authority would first have to increase the term of the lease. It is commercially unviable to enter into a lease of less than 100 years and most investors would want 125 years minimum.

When deciding on whether to increase the term of the lease the local authority will have the opportunity to reassess the benefit of the airport to the local community. A new housing estate with a dedicated train station is what town planners dream of at night.

Is SEN currently seen as priority national infrastructure? Does government care about the Essex outpost and what goes on there? Not sure either way.

There is a long way to go yet, and I'm betting on a SEN revival, but if the future is dependent on a bank board of directors, anything is possible.

[Expressflight]

asdf1234

I agree with much of what you say, but you speak almost as if Stobart are the owners of the airport site whereas they hold only a long leasehold tenure. The bank might foreclose on Stobart, although I think you perhaps overstate the likelihood of that, but the lease would revert to Southend Council as freeholder I presume. I'm sure they would explore every avenue to keep the site as an aviation asset for the town in view of its employment value. All in all a little early for that sort of serious speculation I would suggest; let's leave that for 12 months down the line perhaps.

I cannot recall the time left to run on the lease but I think it may still be greater than 125 years.

[asdf1234]

asdf1234

I agree with much of what you say, but you speak almost as if Stobart are the owners of the airport site whereas they hold only a long leasehold tenure. The bank might foreclose on Stobart, although I think you perhaps overstate the likelihood of that, but the lease would revert to Southend Council as freeholder I presume. I'm sure they would explore every avenue to keep the site as an aviation asset for the town in view of its employment value. All in all a little early for that sort of serious speculation I would suggest; let's leave that for 12 months down the line perhaps.

I cannot recall the time left to run on the lease but I think it may still be greater than 125 years.
A quick footnote to the lease question. Original was granted in 1994 for 125 years. It now has 99 years to run. The lease does not revert to the freeholder upon Stobart's demise otherwise it would be worthless security.

Agree with you on the rest, time will tell.

[LTNman]

Still greater than Luton which is now down to just 11 years.

The Luton lease means the airport operator has to pay a per passenger fee to a limited company the council set up. With Southend I don’t think Stobart has this arrangement so pays nothing apart from a possible lease fee.

With Luton, the short lease, which was only 30 years, has been sold on so I would have though this is an asset Stobart could sell. A bit like slots at Heathrow. I of course stand to be corrected by the locals here.

[willy wombat]

My personal view, with no axe to grind, is that in the long term SEN will do well but, as is so often the case, the “first mover”, in this case Stobbart, will lose out. Look at LCY - now (excluding current crisis) a great success but it wasn’t for the original operator and airlines.

[Buster the Bear]

https://www.independent.ie/business/irish/shares-in-owner-of-stobart-air-plunge-on-100m-equity-raise-39263958.html?fbclid=IwAR2s-Jvk1_bhDQIeblPa4B3IikxFkfTnrxoRQwGsOkiCEQAVfnyLeSfnHCw

[asdf1234]

Still greater than Luton which is now down to just 11 years.

The Luton lease means the airport operator has to pay a per passenger fee to a limited company the council set up. With Southend I don’t think Stobart has this arrangement so pays nothing apart from a possible lease fee.

With Luton, the short lease, which was only 30 years, has been sold on so I would have though this is an asset Stobart could sell. A bit like slots at Heathrow. I of course stand to be corrected by the locals here.
They certainly could sell the lease but they have a problem. Throughout their ownership of the airport they have consistently made a loss on operating it. Who would want to buy a loss making operation?

[Expressflight]

[QUOTE=asdf1234;10803760) The lease does not revert to the freeholder upon Stobart's demise otherwise it would be worthless security[/QUOTE]

Normally a commercial lease cannot be used as security against bank finance as it will have been entered into without a premium at an open market rental and thus has no intrinsic value. If a premium had been paid to obtain the lease from the freeholder it could have some value as security.

[asdf1234]

Normally a commercial lease cannot be used as security against bank finance as it will have been entered into without a premium at an open market rental and thus has no intrinsic value. If a premium had been paid to obtain the lease from the freeholder it could have some value as security.
Think through it logically. Would a bank take security over buildings only, knowing that if the company they were lending to went bust, the land on which the buildings were built, reverted to a third party?

The answer is no. I've seen similar deals on UK airport land/property subject to long term underlying leases.

[Expressflight]

Think through it logically. Would a bank take security over buildings only, knowing that if the company they were lending to went bust, the land on which the buildings were built, reverted to a third party? I've seen similar deals on UK airport land/property subject to long term underlying leases.

Perhaps you should check then to see if such a "long term underlying lease" exists. I'm not doubting your expertise, just your assumptions.

[Expressflight]

On other matters, scrutiny of the Annual Report shows that they plan to operate separate Departures and Arrivals Terminals, the latter shown as being physically remote from the existing Terminal, which is to be 'extended' to provide greater Departures space. I think maybe that means extending Departures into the existing Arrivals space. The Annual Report says of this plan "We can design and deliver a redesigned airport by Summer 2021". That sounds quite ambitious. Funding for this will come from part of the Capital Raise money.

[LTNman]

This is what happened at Bournemouth. It always struck me as being a bad idea with two separate cost bases and two sets of staff. It also made the terminal feel smaller than it needed to by splitting departures and arrivals into two buildings.

[davidjohnson6]

Outside the morning departure peak, Southend has always seemed quite spacious to me - but maybe I've just got too used to 7:30 am Saturday departures at Stansted

Southend is likely to be competing for the passengers who either live in south Essex / east London and/or are highly price sensitive on ticket price. Many of the niche routes where SEN had a monopoly for London flights like Brest, Caen and Rodez have gone and are unlikely to return quickly. Providing plenty of space has never been a priority at Luton or Stansted. Even City airport can be fairly cramped.

Southend in 2019 (ie when times were good) was struggling a bit financially. Airport expansion for LCC-dominated airports is usually left until the latest possible date when the airport is running over 100% of design capacity for big chunks of the day - thus ensuring maximum bang-for-buck and minimal investment risk. Terminal expansion might make airport managers dribble with excitement... but Southend needs to focus on packing-em-in, increasing retail spend within the terminal (yes, that includes includes creating more airside shop units) and coercing airlines to pay more in airport fees per pax. If anyone complains about Covid, SEN should be telling pax to wear gloves+masks. Maybe in 18 or 24 months, airport management can look again at major building work, but right now it should be purely bread-and-butter stuff

[Expressflight]

Southend needs to focus on packing-em-in, increasing retail spend within the terminal (yes, that includes includes creating more airside shop units) and coercing airlines to pay more in airport fees per pax. If anyone complains about Covid, SEN should be telling pax to wear gloves+masks. Maybe in 18 or 24 months, airport management can look again at major building work, but right now it should be purely bread-and-butter stuff

That certainly doesn't seem to be SEN's plan - quite the reverse in fact.

In the Report section entitled "Our vision for London Southend Airport post COVID-19" they say that they "intend to balance commercial revenues with a spacious, convenient, safe and secure environment" and that "lower costs will be imperative (to our airline partners) during the restart post COVID-19" and "we aim to offer airlines the most capital efficient operation".

It looks to me that they see an opportunity in offering greater reassurance to passengers travelling through SEN in preference to more crowded alternatives. If the existing Departures hall is extended into the current Arrivals area that will certainly make social distancing much easier. Quite how all this will generate sufficient revenues to be worthwhile seems unclear, but "best and safest customer experience" may be the type of theme they'll be promoting.

[asdf1234]

Perhaps you should check then to see if such a "long term underlying lease" exists. I'm not doubting your expertise, just your assumptions.
Having researched further it seems the lease between the council and the operator was extended to 2144 which certainly changes the investment picture for potential buyers of / investors in the airport.

[LTNman]

That certainly doesn't seem to be SEN's plan - quite the reverse in fact.

In the Report section entitled "Our vision for London Southend Airport post COVID-19" they say that they "intend to balance commercial revenues with a spacious, convenient, safe and secure environment" and that "lower costs will be imperative (to our airline partners) during the restart post COVID-19" and "we aim to offer airlines the most capital efficient operation".

.

Sounds like so much bull s***. “Spacious” just means not sweating the asset so reducing revenue.

“Lower costs to our airline partners will be imperative” means either reducing staff so making them do more, reducing wages or taking a reduction in fees so making the ability to make a profit even harder. Any new reduced cost infrastructure will be built to the same standard as a portocabin.

Airports have learned to maximise profits they need to crowbar passengers through the front doors for ever cheaper costs. SEN seems to think a half empty terminal is the key to success.

[Expressflight]

Having researched further it seems the lease between the council and the operator was extended to 2144 which certainly changes the investment picture for potential buyers of / investors in the airport.

That's interesting - thanks for making that discovery.

[DC3 Dave]

There’s an interesting clip on channel 5 news (can be accessed via the airport’s media) showing some of work that has gone into reopening for commercial aviation. It seems you will no longer be required to remove items from hand baggage - including permitted liquids - when passing through security.

[AirportPlanner1]

There’s an interesting clip on channel 5 news (can be accessed via the airport’s media) showing some of work that has gone into reopening for commercial aviation. It seems you will no longer be required to remove items from hand baggage - including permitted liquids - when passing through security.

The measures aren’t particularly revolutionary if you’ve traveled in Asia - temperature check is reasonably common. You don’t need to remove liquids in Asia either, or Middle East for that matter as I found recently when flying through for the first time. Looks like SEN has now installed electronic gates for boarding card check to get through to security which should hopefully help reduce queues. They got themselves some good publicity, not just 5 but Sky News as well.

[Expressflight]

They've installed Smiths Detection CTiX cabin baggage scanners apparently.

[LTNman]

https://www.aircargonews.net/airlines/freighter-operator/uks-southend-airport-reduces-night-time-cargo-flights/

[AirLCY]

There’s no reduction they’ve just adjusted the schedule ?

[AirportPlanner1]

Someone posted a while back the schedule was being expanded with Leipzig and somewhere else - Rome? What happened to that - I’ve seen on Flightradar a few times an ASL flight into STN from Leipzig?

[Expressflight]

Under the new scheduling flights are operated to FCO, MAD, BCN and MXP once daily by the two SEN-based aircraft.

[mmeteesside]

Under the new scheduling flights are operated to FCO, MAD, BCN and MXP once daily by the two SEN-based aircraft.
Indeed FCO has just started on Monday whilst BCN has been running a few weeks. Looks as though they’ve adjusted the schedule somewhat to depart earlier around 11pm.

[Expressflight]

Loganair reinstate the LDY-SEN route on 2nd August twice daily, seven days a week.

[Buster the Bear]

https://www.rte.ie/news/business/2020/0612/1147140-stobart-air-to-reduce-its-workforce-in-dublin-and-cork/

[Barling Magna]

So farewell to the Caen, Groningen and Rennes routes. I doubt that they will ever return, although the Rennes service seemed a notable success. Hard times for those being made redundant. I wish them good luck in finding other employment.

[tws123]

I see FlyOne are planning to re-commence their Chisinau-Southend route on 27 October 2020, when it is scheduled 2x weekly up to the end of March 2021.

[stewyb]

Twitter suggesting Wizz Vilnius dropped!

[AirportPlanner1]

Twitter suggesting Wizz Vilnius dropped!

Wouldn't be a surprise sadly, I note in the last week or so re-launch was pushed back to August

[Expressflight]

No surprise at all unfortunately. It's hard to make an argument for Wizz staying at SEN once European flying restarts in a more organised way.

[stewyb]

No surprise at all unfortunately. It's hard to make an argument for Wizz staying at SEN once European flying restarts in a more organised way.

With close by LTN serving Wizz and once RYR jumped on the same routes, it was never going to succeed!

[MARKEYD]

Looks like Ryanair are having a cull at Southend this winter with only 1 based aircraft operating between Friday - Monday

SEN - ALC - SEN - AGP - SEN - DUB - SEN

[LTNman]

Better than nothing and they have left the door open for better days.

[Expressflight]

The Spring 2021 schedule currently seems to need two aircraft to operate it. It's possible, of course, that additions may be made to that schedule in coming months.

[LTNman]

Not good but surely the good times will return at Southend in the medium term.

https://www.echo-news.co.uk/news/18529612.covid-hit-us-worse-9-11/

[SeanM1997]

Twitter suggesting Wizz Vilnius dropped!

Wizz have dropped its Vilnius route but Bucharest remains 3x weekly. The app only shows routes which are bookable and is sometimes more accurate than the website (which shows a number of routes from around Europe with no available dates)

[Barling Magna]

Not good but surely the good times will return at Southend in the medium term.

https://www.echo-news.co.uk/news/18529612.covid-hit-us-worse-9-11/

There is an element of whistling in the dark, but also some truth in what Glyn Jones says:“There are two things in our favour, the first is we are still very largely a leisure-based airport, leisure (https://www.echo-news.co.uk/newspaper-subscribe/leisure/whatson/) will come back before business for practical reasons.

“We’re a short haul airport and I think we have got a good chance of coming back early and a chance of getting more share, but you have to work really hard for it.”

Time will tell.....

[Expressflight]

Southend looks to remain a three aircraft RYR base next summer with the Summer 2021 schedules starting to appear on their website. So far ALC, REU, CFU, DUB, FAO, AGP and PMI are bookable and presumably other destinations will appear, as RYR normally drip-feed their route releases.

[SWBKCB]

There is an element of whistling in the dark, but also some truth in what Glyn Jones says:“There are two things in our favour, the first is we are still very largely a leisure-based airport, leisure (https://www.echo-news.co.uk/newspaper-subscribe/leisure/whatson/) will come back before business for practical reasons.

“We’re a short haul airport and I think we have got a good chance of coming back early and a chance of getting more share, but you have to work really hard for it.”


Unlike local rivals Luton, Gatwick and Stansted?!?

[tws123]

Wideroe have announced a new Bergen to Southend service operating 2x weekly on their E190-E2 from 31 August 2020.

Flights operate on Mondays and Fridays

BGO 8:30 - 9:20 SEN
SEN 9:50 - 12:50 BGO

[AirportPlanner1]

Are they going to fly to Bergen from every London airport?!

Sadly I think this may be temporary, they’ve got slots at LCY I believe so wouldn’t be surprised if both this and Kristiansand shift over come winter

[AirLCY]

Why wouldn’t they go straight into LCY now if that’s the plan for winter, it’s not exactly full?

I think payload would be an issue LCY-KRS on the Q400

[Expressflight]

Sadly I think this may be temporary, they’ve got slots at LCY I believe so wouldn’t be surprised if both this and Kristiansand shift over come winter

You could be right as far as BGO is concerned because it's only bookable from SEN between August 31st and October 19th. KRS seems less likely as that is bookable from SEN right through to Summer 2021, when it increases to a daily frequency.

[LTNman]

https://www.itv.com/news/anglia/2020-06-24/london-southend-airport-gets-ready-for-take-off-as-lockdown-eases/

So what is this quote all about?

We are recognised as the only London airport where you don't need extra safety and the only airport in England where you can fly to Greece and not be quarantined when you get there so we have some really big advantages

– GLYN JONES, LONDON SOUTHEND AIRPORT

[AirportPlanner1]

Maybe the checks are the equivalent of what the Greeks would have given on arrival so it’s a bit like US customs clearance in Dublin? Shame there aren’t many flights between SEN and Greece!

[compton3bravo]

I think Mr Jones has been doing what I call an Everley Brothers - All I have to do is dream, dream, dream!

[chrism20]

https://www.itv.com/news/anglia/2020-06-24/london-southend-airport-gets-ready-for-take-off-as-lockdown-eases/

So what is this quote all about?

Might have something to do with the article below. I remember laughing at the time when it was published as it was practically saying it was safe for me to travel from my local airport in Edinburgh but sixty miles down the M8 Glasgow wasn't. Southend was also mentioned as being "Safe"

https://www.thesun.co.uk/travel/11791141/greece-quarantine-holiday-july-airport/

[Red Four]

I would imagine the comment stems from this EASA document: Annex 1 to EASA SD No 2020-01 and SD 2020-02 (https://www.easa.europa.eu/sites/default/files/dfu/annex_1_to_easa_sd_2020_01_and_easa_sd_2020_02_-_issue_15.pdf)

[tws123]

You could be right as far as BGO is concerned because it's only bookable from SEN between August 31st and October 19th. KRS seems less likely as that is bookable from SEN right through to Summer 2021, when it increases to a daily frequency.

Further update to the above post.

Bergen (BGO) now on sale 2x weekly through to 21 June 2021.
Kristiansand (KRS) remains on sale at 5x weekly, rising to daily from 28 March 2021 through to 24 June 2021

[Expressflight]

Wideroe have also responded to a specific enquiry regarding a possible move of the BGO route to LCY that it will not be the case.

[stewyb]

https://www.thesun.co.uk/travel/11990915/easyjet-close-hubs-stansted-southend-newcastle/amp/

[SEN Observer]

Where do they stand having signed up for 10 years with SEN in 2012?

[stewyb]

Where do they stand having signed up for 10 years with SEN in 2012?

No doubt there were numerous break clauses in contract!

[AirportPlanner1]

Terribly bad news for the staff and the airport, not entirely unexpected especially now with the high probability of no-deal Brexit to throw into the toxic mix.

They say a presence will be maintained at all three airports, hard to see SEN having much of a network though as few existing routes are bases.

Perhaps Wizz will be offered a deal they can’t refuse...I can’t see in the imminent future where else replacement would come from.

[LTNman]

This is awful news for Southend but Southend was always vulnerable to an Easyjet withdrawal. The surprise is Stansted so it would appear the airline will focus on a single base north and south of the Thames. Southend was always at a disadvantage as it could not offer the airline a 24/7 operation.

The question is will they return when the world gets back to normal? I really hope so but again it might rely on the other London Airports becoming full again with Southend catching the overflow.

The worst case scenario is that passenger services become unviable for Southend and Stobart closes the terminal to cut costs. I can’t see Ryanair doing much at Southend as their focus will be at Stansted. As for Wizz it can only be a matter of time.

[daz211]

Stansted is not a shock, Jet2 have pushed their way to No2 at Stansted with massive growth, Easyjet just stayed stagnant, I’m surprised they have stuck around this long.

[stewyb]

Sad news for the airport and its staff and seems that EZY are going forward with a London two base strategy north and south of the river. Remains to be seen how much appetite there will be from EZY to continue non based flying and would imagine this will reduce to a handful of destinations from current EZY bases. RYR may jump on certain routes although now is not the right time for large expansion, unless you are Wizz who seem to be throwing caution to the wind throughout Europe and may see this as an opportunity, but with Luton close by and Wizz’s determination seemingly to grow Gatwick, SEN is probably not being thought of!

[compton3bravo]

It will be fascinating to see what messrs Brady and Jones have to say about the latest bad news for the airport. Probably Wizz to follow - expand at Gatwick and consolidate at Luton.

[rowly6339]

It will be fascinating to see what messrs Brady and Jones have to say about the latest bad news for the airport. Probably Wizz to follow - expand at Gatwick and consolidate at Luton.

Warwick Brady will say the same as usual that SEN is doing well and will only grow, he is blind to what is going on and refuses to accept that the situation is not good and future is going to be extremely difficult, he is simply in denial if you will.

[AirportPlanner1]

Stansted is not a shock, Jet2 have pushed their way to No2 at Stansted with massive growth, Easyjet just stayed stagnant, I’m surprised they have stuck around this long.

I wholeheartedly concur. My surprise is both SEN and STN being cut

[_aax1]

I wholeheartedly concur. My surprise is both SEN and STN being cut

Same, I think one might be saved by the end of the consultation

[Buster the Bear]

Terribly bad news for the staff and the airport, not entirely unexpected especially now with the high probability of no-deal Brexit to throw into the toxic mix.

They say a presence will be maintained at all three airports, hard to see SEN having much of a network though as few existing routes are bases.

Perhaps Wizz will be offered a deal they can’t refuse...I can’t see in the imminent future where else replacement would come from.

Wizzair have picked up enough slots at Gatwick to base 4 airframes this winter.

[Buster the Bear]

This is awful news for Southend but Southend was always vulnerable to an Easyjet withdrawal. The surprise is Stansted so it would appear the airline will focus on a single base north and south of the Thames. Southend was always at a disadvantage as it could not offer the airline a 24/7 operation.

The question is will they return when the world gets back to normal? I really hope so but again it might rely on the other London Airports becoming full again with Southend catching the overflow.

The worst case scenario is that passenger services become unviable for Southend and Stobart closes the terminal to cut costs. I can’t see Ryanair doing much at Southend as their focus will be at Stansted. As for Wizz it can only be a matter of time.

Ryanair quoted today that if the price is right a 15+ airframe base could happen at Gatwick.

[SKOJB]

Same, I think one might be saved by the end of the consultation

Don’t agree, EZY operating at SEN, LTN and STN may have been ok in normal times pre Covid but the fact that they are all within touching distance of each other and serving predominantly the same destinations, over capacity is no longer a problem and EZY can pick and choose where they wish to place aircraft, staff and reduce overheads! SEN has to be careful or else RYR and Wizz will also exit what with LGW looking to slot fill the BA/Virgin departures!

[asdf1234]

No doubt there were numerous break clauses in contract!
The Stobart Group prospectus that was published a few weeks back to support the shareholder fund raise, explicitly stated that none of the based airlines are contractually obliged to keep a minimum number of aircraft at the airport. Given the millions that the airport has spent on route development fees ( aka airline incentives) I was surprised that none of the airlines are obliged to stick around. I cautioned against these sweetheart deals from the beginning. Yes, I know route development incentives are common place but if you truly believe you are the owners of a London airport that provides additional capacity in a squeezed marketplace, why pay the airlines to turn up? And if you do pay them, write into the deal that they stay, at least long enough to show the airport a positive return on investment.

[BA318]

Warwick Brady will say the same as usual that SEN is doing well and will only grow, he is blind to what is going on and refuses to accept that the situation is not good and future is going to be extremely difficult, he is simply in denial if you will.

What are you expecting him to say publicly? Very few business leaders are going to say “well the company is f**ked”.

[asdf1234]

From the recently published Stobart Group prospectus:

Actions taken by these significant customers such as reductions in operations or the use of the Group’s services could materially adversely affect the Group. Stobart Aviation is particularly exposed to this risk, as the operating contracts with the airlines operating at the Group’s airports do not commit either party to specific volumes of activity. There can therefore be no assurance as to the level of the Group’s future aeronautical revenue from any one or more airline operators. However, even where the Group does have contracts in place with its significant customers, if these customers suffer financial difficulties they may be unable to fulfil their contractual obligations.

[DC3 Dave]

A year ago Stobart must have thought the world was their lobster. Not 1 not 2 but 3 LCC’s, a 30% stake in a regional airline that would bring many a new route SEN’s way and pax numbers rapidly growing towards levels they’d promised for years.

Then the Flybe purchase started to go horribly wrong.

Then Covid-19. The weakness of the airport exposed and their even, by now, hopelessly weaker owners probably unable to do anything to dig in, especially when the government support dies up.

So so what does the future hold for SEN? I don’t know, but I’m saddened by events and in no mood to kick anyone when they’re down. Not even Warwick Brady.

Addition:

https://www.echo-news.co.uk/news/18551895.southend-airport-bosses-respond-potential-easyjet-closure/

I suppose, clutching at straws, that there is one card left to play as the 10 year deal winds down. Stobart could always offer say 5 years more of sweetness, something STN would not be able to do even if they were daft enough.

[LTNman]

The question is was Southend told by Easyjet that they were off or did Easyjet and Stobart hold negotiations and could not agree a new deal?

[SKOJB]

No domestic EZY routes so my best guess would be CDG and AMS plus seasonal GVA and JER staying on with RYR servicing the sun spots!

[asdf1234]

The question is was Southend told by Easyjet that they were off or did Easyjet and Stobart hold negotiations and could not agree a new deal?
I bet the shareholders will be asking a different question along the lines of, "When exactly did you know Easyjet were off? Before or after we put in another £100m of our cash to keep the company afloat?"

[tws123]

I see that Ryanair's base at SEN now seems under threat too - https://www.balpa.org/Media-Centre/Press-Releases/Ryanair-pilots-vote-to-accept-temporary-pay-cuts-t

[LTNman]

So what would be left with no Ryanair or Easyjet?

[aurigny72]

According to a Ryanair SEN based pilot they are not pulling out. Lets hope he is right.

[LTNman]

I would imagine it will be down to how much money Stobart is prepared to pay Ryanair to stay as they hold all the cards.

[LTNman]

Southend Airport’s website is still showing no flights operating on their arrivals and departures web page. Is that really the case or has Stobart gone to sleep?

https://www.airport-technology.com/news/london-southend-airport-reopens-for-passenger-operations/

London Southend Airport in the UK has reopened its terminal to passengers after it was closed for three months due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

[tophat27dt]

Southend Airport’s website is still showing no flights operating on their arrivals and departures web page. Is that really the case or has Stobart gone to sleep?

https://www.airport-technology.com/news/london-southend-airport-reopens-for-passenger-operations/
LSA informed me by email that whilst the current daily flights were rather haphazard with many cancelations, they would not keep that list up to date on their website.
Answer. Yes. Laziness.

[pabely]

Perhaps with the Lake District reporting a surge in bookings, now is a good time to relaunch the Carlisle route?

[Fly757X]

Derry~Londonderry with Loganair has been moved back to Stansted for the remainder of S20 and also W20/21.

[AirportPlanner1]

Gets worse by the day. The place will have no flights some days in winter the way things are going.

[davidjohnson6]

At most companies, when a major customer leaves, the staff, the directors and senior staff start to panic (junior staff are often not paid enough to care). Presumably that is happening now at SEN, but the PANIC! message just hasn't been communicated out yet officially...

[SWBKCB]

Perhaps with the Lake District reporting a surge in bookings, now is a good time to relaunch the Carlisle route?

Carlisle would need to re-open first. Notam'd closed until 20 August and no indication it will be opening any time soon.

[LTNman]

https://www.echo-news.co.uk/news/18560967.easyjet-quits-southend-next- (https://www.echo-news.co.uk/news/18560967.easyjet-quits-southend-next-airport/)

Looking at next May Easyjet are still showing Southend based aircraft, which I assume will eventually disappear.

Reading the comments the majority are delighted but I would think they are the ones who suffered.

[pabely]

Some worrying stats taken from the Gatwick thread https://www.pprune.org/airlines-airports-routes/600008-gatwick-2-a-50.html#post10833900
where is Southend, below 6 pax, cargo & biz movements?

[chesna152]

Some worrying stats taken from the Gatwick thread https://www.pprune.org/airlines-airports-routes/600008-gatwick-2-a-50.html#post10833900
where is Southend, below 6 pax, cargo & biz movements?

Im guessing Southend’s statistics have been omitted as there were 8 ASL freight movements in addition to a number of RYR flights

[pabely]

Some better news https://www.echo-news.co.uk/news/18575363.southend-airport-boost-ryanair-reveals-new-flights/

[SWBKCB]

So the new routes are those announced last year for this summer but not started - see #3643


The Evening Echo (God bless 'em) carries the Ryanair story now listing six new routes:

Bergerac;
Bucharest;
Girona;
Marseille;
Venice Treviso; and
Vilnius, in Lithuania.

The Echo quotes Ryanair’s Alejandra Ruiz: “Since the start of our operations in London Southend in April, we have carried more than 650,000 customers, and based on this success to date we are delighted to extend our services at Southend with six new routes for summer 2020. Our London Southend summer 2020 schedule features 16 routes in total, which will deliver 850,000 customers per year."

[aurigny72]

So the new routes are those announced last year for this summer but not started - see #3643
Just for the record Budapest and Vilnius have already started with Ryanair.

[LTNman]

You can be sure Ryanair will be paying nothing to Stobart and that Stobart will be relying on ancillary income to cover its costs. It could be a good fit for Ryanair as it will keep Stansted looking over their shoulder and grieving at lost passengers that they will see as rightfully theirs.

[rowly6339]

According to Stobart those flights that have been flying from the airport have largely been full.

[LTNman]

So much for social distancing then. One metre plus!

[AirportPlanner1]

According to Stobart those flights that have been flying from the airport have largely been full.

Fares when I had a look for interest last week and a few images in the media would seem to confirm this, although there have been very few flights - about 2-4 per day - and they are to quite mainstream destinations

[DC3 Dave]

Stobart have sold Stobart Rail for £1000. I guess what they are doing is try and slow down of group losses in order to keep hold of the airport possibly until some sort of knight in shining armour comes along to save them.

Talking of knights, Andrew Tinkler says he would have paid 5 million for Stobart Rail, and again called for the removal of Warwick Brady.

https://www.echo-news.co.uk/news/18583585.stobart-group-sells-rail-company-1k-focus-southend-airport/

[Startledgrapefruit]

Stobart have sold Stobart Rail for £1000. I guess what they are doing is try and slow down of group losses in order to keep hold of the airport possibly / (https://www.echo-news.co.uk/news/18583585.stobart-group-sells-rail-company-1k-focus-southend-airport/)

£1000 I have seen train sets down the church hall that cost more than that.

[SKOJB]

Wizz starting new med routes from LTN, is this partly in response to EZY pulling its base at SEN perhaps?

[pamann]

Wizz starting new med routes from LTN, is this partly in response to EZY pulling its base at SEN perhaps?

I would say it’s more about them going head to head with EZY at Luton on some of those routes. Can’t see how it has any connection to Southend if I’m honest.

[SKOJB]

I would say it’s more about them going head to head with EZY at Luton on some of those routes. Can’t see how it has any connection to Southend if I’m honest.

Just thought they might be tapping in to lost capacity at SEN to go head to head with EZY at LTN!

[LTNman]

Not a good time for Stobart to focus on Southend when aviation has been decimated. Southend will now have to compete head on with other London Airports with plenty of spare capacity and better transport links who will be doing their own deals. To compete means offering ever lower fees or not charging fees at all, which will mean even lower wages and zero hour contracts.

Mirror that for STN, GAT, and LTN and it is a race to the bottom with the airlines holding all the aces.

[The96er]

Mirror that for STN, GAT, and LTN and it is a race to the bottom with the airlines holding all the aces.

I’m not sure the airlines any longer hold all of the aces. I’m led to believe that the suppliers/handling agents are no longer prepared to ‘slit their own throats’ to gain market share. Hopefully for those in the industry, they’ll hold firm on that. We shall see.

[LTNman]

Southend does its own handing. Stobart has already said it has to reduce costs so people will be made redundant and then no doubt taken back on again, as the airport picks up, on new inferior contracts.

[davidjohnson6]

If I worked at SEN and was laid off.... based on Easyjet closing their base, I would not be waiting around expecting to be rehired within 6 months

[chesna152]

So what can be made of the fact that Ezy have put a near full schedule on sale from Southend for next summer:

A) They are a company in cash generation mode and are just trying to acquire cash even if they know they will be almost certainly cancelling the flights?

B) They plan on offering a larger range of destinations through non based flying than most of us would have originally thought (the timings of many flights make this unlikely)?

C) A possible U turn over base closure (hopefully so but probably the most unlikely)?

D) Something else?

[davidjohnson6]

E) The person who is meant to update the schedules is out of the office and hasn't read their emails telling them to do so yet ?

[DC3 Dave]

Can anyone confirm that there’s an Ural Airlines A320 at the airport with a scheduled 1515 departure to St Petersburg?

[FRatSTN]

F) They continue to sell tickets as normal since they're still consulting with unions about the base closure and will reaccomodate bookings, or offer a refund, when the inevitable is officially confirmed.

Seems the most logical explanation to me.

[chesna152]

Can anyone confirm that there’s an Ural Airlines A320 at the airport with a scheduled 1515 departure to St Petersburg?

Yes there is, operating a change of personnel for a ship at a nearby port

[DC3 Dave]

Yes there is, operating a change of personnel for a ship at a nearby port

Thank you, comrade chesna152.

[AirportPlanner1]

EZY are allegedly operating a full pre-Covid schedule from early September. Fares are temptingly good...now, are they really going from 0 weekly to 13 weekly to AMS for example? My hunch is the cash generation option cited for why the 2021 schedule is on sale isn’t far off the mark. I’d be surprised if all the Sep flights take to the skies and that’s far more immediate.

As an aside my STN-AMS has been retimed and the schedule appears to all be operated from the AMS base whereas from what I can tell SEN-AMS is being operated from SEN.

[Planespeaking]

Not a good time for Stobart to focus on Southend when aviation has been decimated. Southend will now have to compete head on with other London Airports with plenty of spare capacity and better transport links who will be doing their own deals. To compete means offering ever lower fees or not charging fees at all, which will mean even lower wages and zero hour contracts.

Mirror that for STN, GAT, and LTN and it is a race to the bottom with the airlines holding all the aces.
'Better transport links.' I concede that the road links from London to Southend need improvement even though it is dual carriageway, however the train services and ease of access from SEN's own dedicated station to and from the terminal within 100 paces is hard to beat.

[AirLCY]

'Better transport links.' I concede that the road links from London to Southend need improvement even though it is dual carriageway, however the train services and ease of access from SEN's own dedicated station to and from the terminal within 100 paces is hard to beat.


Only LCY and SOU are really comparable, the train is better than STN and LTN by far

[LTNman]

LTN gets the Dart driverless train next year from the station. Think of it as the railway station being the South Terminal at Gatwick and passengers are flying out of the North Terminal. Its the same thing as they have to jump onto a driverless train.


The biggest issue with the Southend rail journey is that is takes so long and seems to stop at every station. I used it once many years ago and seemed to take forever. I am not knocking Southend but the rail link is also its Achilles heel.

[AirportPlanner1]

The biggest issue with the Southend rail journey is that is takes so long and seems to stop at every station. I used it once many years ago and seemed to take forever. I am not knocking Southend but the rail link is also its Achilles heel.

Although it does make a number of stops time-wise it’s almost identical to the journey to STN and is cheaper so perhaps a perception issue.

[Planespeaking]

LTN gets the Dart driverless train next year from the station. Think of it as the railway station being the South Terminal at Gatwick and passengers are flying out of the North Terminal. Its the same thing as they have to jump onto a driverless train.


The biggest issue with the Southend rail journey is that is takes so long and seems to stop at every station. I used it once many years ago and seemed to take forever. I am not knocking Southend but the rail link is also its Achilles heel.
' I used it once many years ago and it seemed to take forever!' That sounds like a Simon Calder travel review.
Try it again LTNman when you are able and give us an update.

[LTNman]

If I take the stopper from St Pancras to Parkway it takes 45 minutes and it feels like time has stood still so I avoid it like the plaque.

The semi fast that stops 2 to 3 times and takes either 30 or 31 minutes is sort of fine unless I am in a hurry.

The non stop service takes 22 minutes. No sooner have I sat down it feels like I have arrived.

Got to confess I haven’t used the Southend service for years and that was to the town and not the airport. Should have took my sleeping bag although the service might have got quicker since then.

[Planespeaking]

If I take the stopper from St Pancras to Parkway it takes 45 minutes and it feels like time has stood still so I avoid it like the plaque.

The semi fast that stops 2 to 3 times and takes either 30 or 31 minutes is sort of fine unless I am in a hurry.

The non stop service takes 22 minutes. No sooner have I sat down it feels like I have arrived.

Got to confess I haven’t used the Southend service for years and that was to the town and not the airport. Should have took my sleeping bag although the service might have got quicker since then.
If you took your sleeping bag today LTNman you would be in good company with all the rough sleepers and their dogs in Southend Town Centre!! Meanwhile back at the airport!

[SEN Observer]

I see LTNman has rolled out the same untruth as has been seen here so many times before. No trains call at all stations. There are three off peak trains an hour and two of those go non stop from Shenfield to Stratford. The third train calls also at Romford. So two of the three trains skip eleven stations and the third one misses ten. Hardly stops everywhere! And the Romford stopper only takes two minutes longer. Can we once and for all put this misinformation to bed?

[Expressflight]

Can we once and for all put this misinformation to bed?

Dream on I'm afraid.

I don't know if the new trains are in service yet on the LST-SIA line but I've used them on routes where they are and the under-seat baggage stowage makes a big difference.

[GiveMeABreak]

The "ignore" facility works best for him and many others...

[LTNman]

Well it was a genuine mistake on my part then so calm down if the train service is semi fast. I looked at the travel times and assumed they must stop at every station as it took so long, which is how I remember it. Back in those days maybe they did stop at every station as it was a weekend. Just a random look at the next 8 train travel times from the airport to Liverpool Street . 56min, 55min, 53min, 58min, 56min, 59min, 56min, 56min. Still seems a hell of a long time to me but that is just a personal opinion as other here love it.

[asdf1234]

Well it was a genuine mistake on my part then so calm down if the train service is semi fast. I looked at the travel times and assumed they must stop at every station as it took so long, which is how I remember it. Back in those days maybe they did stop at every station as it was a weekend. Just a random look at the next 8 train travel times from the airport to Liverpool Street . 56min, 55min, 53min, 58min, 56min, 59min, 56min, 56min. Still seems a hell of a long time to me but that is just a personal opinion as other here love it.

LIVERPOOL ST to SEN arriving by 9am is 53 minutes by train. Same London station to Stansted is 50 mins. Farringdon to Luton Parkway is 36 mins, add extra for the bus up the hill. Farringdon to Gatwick is 39 mins. Paddington to Heathrow is circa 20 mins depending on which terminal you want although the walk from platform to terminal can be very long!

[aurigny72]

Its just LTNman doing his usual thing about SEN, he has been on here for a number of years criticising and finding fault one way or another with the airport, hardly a good word said e.g. when new routes have been announced or when Ryanair or Wizz started services, its just dig, dig, dig nearly all the time.

[chesna152]

I have followed this forum for a long time and seem to know most posters quirks and opinions, however let’s all try and play nice. In this case I didn’t agree with LTNman’s first point (how you can claim Southend has inferior transport links when his favoured airport currently requires a bus trip to the train station is laughable), but challenge people and present your correct version of the situation as you see it rather than endless posts about individual contributors and their supposed motives, which gets us nowhere.

[Planespeaking]

Well it was a genuine mistake on my part then so calm down if the train service is semi fast. I looked at the travel times and assumed they must stop at every station as it took so long, which is how I remember it. Back in those days maybe they did stop at every station as it was a weekend. Just a random look at the next 8 train travel times from the airport to Liverpool Street . 56min, 55min, 53min, 58min, 56min, 59min, 56min, 56min. Still seems a hell of a long time to me but that is just a personal opinion as other here love it.
If you are going to post on here and have your contribution respected LTNman never 'assume'. Facts, facts are what matter.

Meanwhile back in LTN!!

[AirportPlanner1]

If you are going to post on here and have your contribution respected LTNman never 'assume'. Facts, facts are what matter.

Meanwhile back in LTN!!

I think those times are temporary it’s normally quicker than that. Also as I suspect the poster knows well as this is far from the first time they’ve discussed the subject Stratford is a good 8-10 minutes closer with far more useful connections than eg Tottenham Hale. Feels like Groundhog Day again

[pamann]

Not everyone using the train from Southend is terminating in Liverpool Street or Stratford for that matter. I’ve used the train to get to Southend Airport on a few occasions and it really is rather pleasant and hassle free experience.

LTNman I have to admit that through the years of knowing you on here you are somewhat obsessed with train and journey times to London, always trying to prove a point that your LTN airport is best positioned. Not everyone using London airports live or need to get to/from Charring Cross/Trafalgar Square. I honestly thought this was only something you bring up every year or so on the Stansted thread, however it seems you’re just as guilty of it here on the Southend one.
What exactly is it that you’re trying the prove on here? You really should consider a career within Luton airport’s marketing team.

[LTNman]

I state a fact yet some don’t like the fact and get all huffy and puffy when I said I thought it was a long journey. Well it is a long journey and so is Stansted and so is the all stopper Luton service. Ok I will turn that around for those with a delicate Southend disposition and make it sound positive. Those travelling to London Liverpool St have the opportunity to watch two complete episodes of Dads Army on their iplayer. This is the only airport serving a London terminal where someone can do this.

I don’t like the shuttle bus at Luton either if it makes people happy but I wouldn’t spend £243m of Council money replacing it as I have said many times.

Just as a side note I used the recognised London mainline terminal of St Pancras for my travel times for Luton while asdf1234 used Farringdon. I could stretch the times out further if people want by using other directly served London stations of City Thameslink, Blackfriars or London Bridge. The slowest all stopper journey from London Bridge I can find is 58 minutes, which is the same as Southend. It’s not a big deal but would seem like a very long journey to me just like catching a train to Southend.

When the Dart opens will passengers see the Dart station at Parkway, which resembles an airport terminal, as being the airport or only when they arrive inside the CTA? Do passengers arriving at Gatwick Airport station see the station as the airport or only when they have arrived at the North terminal after catching their driverless train?

Whatever passengers thoughts are, the Dart will be a game changer for Luton but I am more than happy to see Southend smash and grab a few Luton services and to prosper in what is a tough world. I will always remain a supporter of Southend, although that is not wanted here but to be honest I don’t give a monkeys that I am not viewed as being in the first division of the fan boy club where spin and gloss and a denial of reality is key to membership.

I have to add that I have the greatest of respect for Expressflight who just deals in plain facts and the real world Southend lives in. Maybe that is because he used to work there. When he writes something it is always worth reading.

[Expressflight]

I have to add that I have the greatest of respect for Expressflight who just deals in plain facts and the real world Southend lives in. Maybe that is because he used to work there. When he writes something it is always worth reading.

Thanks for the kind words. Yes, my association with SEN goes back to 1959 to when I was an aircraft spotter living within a mile of the airport, close to the 24 approach path. My aviation career was always concentrated on SEN and it was a fascinating environment in which to work, offering the many work opportunities I've been lucky enough to enjoy that would simply not have been forthcoming at a larger, more successful airport. Small was definitely beautiful as far as the working atmosphere at SEN was concerned in the days prior to Stobart's acquisition at the end of 2008. Nowadays it's the same sterile, strictly regulated environment as everywhere else; that being the inevitable price of 'success' apparently.

I've haven't commented much on this public forum in the current desperate situation that we're living through because the future, be it short or medium term, is so completely uncertain that everything is now becoming a matter for speculation and possibly false assumptions. All I would say is that Stobart have laid great emphasis in recent years on the fact that slot shortages at LON airports would offer SEN commercial opportunities and that has indeed proven to be the case up to the start of 2020. The operational landscape is now entirely different and is likely to remain so for a few years at least I would suggest, so while SEN now has the infrastructure in place to make the most of what is available the pickings are likely to be lean.

I think we should all row back a little on criticising each other and 'our' airport's competitors. None of us has ever lived through anything like this and a little understanding and mutual empathy might help to ease our journey out of it.

[LGS6753]

Just as a matter of interest, what proportion of SEN's (and for that matter, LTN's and LGW's) passengers arrive by train?
I would expect the number arriving by road to be much larger in every case.

[SARF]

They will probably switch to ‘terminal space’ for social distancing instead of slot space

[albertocsx]

To complement/correct my previous post, DfT, Travelwatch and Stobart sources indicate the following distribution for train access in 2019:

LHR 8% (+18% Tube), LGW 38%, LTN 18%, STN 31%, SEN 47%, LCY 48% (DLR)

[DC3 Dave]

Not sure this protest is going to change anything but why not vent your frustrations.....

https://www.echo-news.co.uk/news/18602110.easyjet-staff-protest-outside-southend-airport/

Good luck to all of them.

[SWBKCB]

The owner of Southend airport is seeking to replace routes being lost with the with withdrawal of easyJet.The budget carrier is closing three UK bases – Southend, Stansted and Newcastle – although the airports will remain part of its network.EasyJet restarted its schedule from Southend with flights to four destinations on July 20 as consultation takes place.

David Shearer, chairman of Southend airport owner Stobart Group, said: “We believe easyJet operated a number of attractive, well-established routes from London Southend and remain in dialogue with them. “Whilst we await the conclusion of their consultation period, we have also commenced discussions with other airlines regarding their interest in some of these routes.”

“There is the opportunity to create further shareholder value in the medium term due to three key factors: our ability to establish an enhanced passenger experience for post-Covid-19 travel; the ability to offer a cost efficient London base of operation to all airlines; and the airport’s location serving London, which pre-COVID-19, was the largest travel market in the world,” according to Shearer.

https://www.travelweekly.co.uk/articles/381173/southend-airport-owner-seeks-to-replace-easyjet-routes

[Hawthorne]

I think it’s unlikely that SEN will be able to get any new airlines in to take the routes that Easyjet will stop. Any profitable routes would be taken by Ryanair. The fact that The Restaurant Group will be closing down one unit and is unsure if it will keep the others open is a real sign of lack of confidence in the airport, with Bourgee unlikely to reopen it would leave the airport with no restaurants

[davidjohnson6]

The commentsfrom David Shearer sound like a lot of face saving waffle. He knows that Stobart's ownership of SEN is in deep trouble, but just doesn't want to admit it publicly

[AirportPlanner1]

To be fair TRG have problems of their own, and aside from their 200-odd permanent closures another 50 or so won’t open again in 2020. There just isn’t the footfall in airports at the moment to make much f&b/retail viable, even at Gatwick and Stansted only a small number of shops and restaurants are open. Heathrow has whole mothballed terminals!

[SKOJB]

How many EZY routes do we think will remain?

[Expressflight]

How many EZY routes do we think will remain?

I should imagine that with no base at SEN there will be only 2 or 3 EZY routes at most.

[Hawthorne]

To be fair TRG have problems of their own, and aside from their 200-odd permanent closures another 50 or so won’t open again in 2020. There just isn’t the footfall in airports at the moment to make much f&b/retail viable, even at Gatwick and Stansted only a small number of shops and restaurants are open. Heathrow has whole mothballed terminals!


They’ve reopened units in airports that have 2 or 3 flights going out a day, potentially not reopening even 1 in SEN suggests potential loss of more routes

[planedrive]

AMS for sure. Maybe CDG and maybe GVA in the winter. I would say that's an optimistic view.

[rowly6339]

The fact that Stobart are looking to sell the energy side of the business (the only part of the group that makes a profit) and concentrate solely on aviation shows that they either know something that other airport operators don’t or are naive in there predictions for the future of the aviation industry.

Further selling of the group’s property portfolio and the sale of the energy business will provide cash to maybe last a couple of years at best but if things don’t go as they believe they will then it could all come to an expensive end.

New name and branding to commence in the new year 2021 for the group as a whole (at a cost again)

[SKOJB]

The fact that Stobart are looking to sell the energy side of the business (the only part of the group that makes a profit) and concentrate solely on aviation shows that they either know something that other airport operators don’t or are naive in there predictions for the future of the aviation industry.

Further selling of the group’s property portfolio and the sale of the energy business will provide cash to maybe last a couple of years at best but if things don’t go as they believe they will then it could all come to an expensive end.

New name and branding to commence in the new year 2021 for the group as a whole (at a cost again)

Suggests a fattening of the balance sheet before an airport sale!

[AirportPlanner1]

What is the reason for DUB flying today and tomorrow for 2 days only? Is it for aircraft swaps? Though surely cheaper to ferry than operate commercially? Tomorrow is available for £15/€15 each way, 14 seats taken outbound and 4 on the return.

[LTNman]

Only essential travel to the UK from Ireland would affect numbers.
https://www.dfa.ie/travel/travel-advice/coronavirus/

[The96er]

Talking to friends in Ireland and flight crew who still operate to the U.K, it's quite clear to me that the Irish Government have instilled a sence of deep fear within the population and that any travel outside of Eire will result in instant death. Seemingly, the Irish powers that be have decided to only listen to the Scientist's with no attempt at any Economic balance counter initiatives/arguments.

Any nation hoping to lockdown their entire polulation for hope of the miracle vaccine that may or not appear I fear will suffer dire Economically.

And I thought the U.K was bad !

[LTNman]

Just looked at the flight boards for Southend. Apart from just 2 flights all the other destinations are on a quarantine list. Are people ignoring government advice? Anyone know the Southend loads?

[JSCL]

Just looked at the flight boards for Southend. Apart from just 2 flights all the other destinations are on a quarantine list. Are people ignoring government advice? Anyone know the Southend loads?

I saw a video from one of those so called online influencers that does lots of travelling and trip reports. He was flying from Manchester to Alicante last few days on Ryanair and there were 160 pax on board the outbound flight. Seems there's lots of appetite to go away.

[LTNman]

No different than Luton I guess. Government advice is there for a reason but the airlines are undermining the message with don’t care passengers who are still heading for Spain and Portugal. Once arrived they all no doubt feel safe and then don’t practice social distancing.

https://www.essexlive.news/news/essex-news/southend-airport-passengers-now-quarantine-4410346

[SWBKCB]

Government advice

It's a legal requirement, not advice.

[kcockayne]

I am going to Majorca in September . Luckily, I don't live in the UK, so I am not subject to the Govt. stipulations. All we have to do in Jersey is to take a test on return arrival & keep , relatively, social distanced until we get the result (max. 2 days). I have no qualms about visiting Spain; if I have to I will self-isolate for 14 days when I return.

[LTNman]

Majorca is looking like it is going on Germany’s quarantine list after a surge in cases over the last week. People are still to Blasé about this virus. Meanwhile Southend has 2 flights going there today no doubt full of passengers that will feel safe and will soon forget about the virus.

[Cloud1]

Majorca is looking like it is going on Germany’s quarantine list after a surge in cases over the last week. People are still to Blasé about this virus. Meanwhile Southend has 2 flights going there today.

Is it blase or is it just people are fed up with it all now? I’m following guidance on keeping clean and distanced but it is killing the economy and our aviation industry. If people don’t fly at all then we can kiss goodbye to many more companies and many more thousands of jobs.

[LTNman]

I am fed up with it all and want a normal life but the worse case scenario is a wrecked economy, which we now have and we still end up with a virus that is out of control. I have to question if we were taking the virus to Spain and the Islands thanks to EasyJet and Ryanair and I will include Southend and now we will be taking it back as even Majorca has now far more cases than the U.K. per 100,000.

It is debatable how many of those who say they are prepared for quarantine will actually bother.

[Red Four]

Majorca is looking like it is going on Germany’s quarantine list after a surge in cases over the last week. People are still to Blasé about this virus. Meanwhile Southend has 2 flights going there today no doubt full of passengers that will feel safe and will soon forget about the virus.
...and Luton has at least three. Exactly what axe are you trying to grind against SEN?

[HZ123]

Not sure it is relevant from whence the you fly! Pays your money and takes your chance?

[Buster the Bear]

Not sure it is relevant from whence the you fly! Pays your money and takes your chance?

Become asymptomatic and pass it on unknowingly.

I have no problem with people flying anywhere, they know the risks, but then it must be isolation on return, to protect those that are vulnerable.

A recent spike in Bedford saw a big rise in new cases. All were age 59 or younger, most being under 30. The theory being investigated is that the older generations may well be taking the pandemic more seriously and far more rigorous with protecting themselves and minimising the risk.

The travel sector needs furlough to last through the winter.

[SEN Observer]

I don't see that LTNMan is grinding any particular airport axes just speaking generally about idiots who don't adhere to the rules and regulations that are there to try to protect us all!

[LTNman]

...and Luton has at least three. Exactly what axe are you trying to grind against SEN?

Yep as you say Luton is worse so the same points mentioned here is applicable there. Too many people are either in denial or they are past caring but we will all end up paying the price.

[SWBKCB]

If only there was a seperate thread where this could be discussed, again.

[kcockayne]

[QUOTE=SEN Observer;10859125]I don't see that LTNMan is grinding any particular airport axes just speaking generally about idiots who don't adhere to the rules and regulations that are there to try to protect us all![/QUOTE
But, not about the idiots who make the rules.

[DC3 Dave]

Just when you think things can’t get much worse, go to the last line in this piece that’s just appeared in the Evening Standard.
EasyJet has confirmed plans to close its base at Stansted airport from September 1, the Standard can reveal.

The budget airline will also close its Southend and Newcastle bases, putting 670 jobs at risk.

It is understood the airline discussed the plans with unions today.

The airline has been battling to slash costs in the face of the coronavirus pandemic which has forced planes to remain.

The move will see outbound flights cut from Stansted and Newcastle, but in-bound flights continue. All flights in and out of Southend will end.

[tws123]

Be interesting to see what routes get picked up by other airlines (if at all). Ryanair have the monopoly now at SEN.

[AirportPlanner1]

Devastating news and did not see this coming at all, especially as they seem to have been running a much more extensive based schedule from SEN than STN. But in the immediate term at least I can appreciate why they would want to suspend ops, most if not all SEN routes are or will be soon under quarantine as Croatia looks very dodgy and once school holidays are over you can imagine demand dropping off a cliff.

[Hawthorne]

Unfortunately Easyjet announcing its pulling out from SEN completely is really not a surprise! I’m confused why people are saying that Ryanair or Wizz will pick up some slots. There was plenty of slots available before Easyjet pulled out. Wizz also went down from 3 routes to just 1 which is also serviced by Ryanair, I think it’s likely that Wizz will be next to leave SEN, especially if they can get into Gatwick or Stansted. Ryanair also currently does a lot of the same routes as Easyjet. Quarantine coming in from many countries probably won’t be lifted until next Spring at the earliest, I think unfortunately winter will be hell at SEN possibly ever whole days with no passenger flights

[LTNman]

Ryanair have announced a 20% cut in capacity for September and October but haven’t said where.

[AirportPlanner1]

I wouldn’t be so sure about a Wizz pullout, SEN is probably even a contender for a base given their new Gemma Collins summer sun approach. The airport is pretty vulnerable though, for the same reasons EZY has withdrawn it’s not hard to imagine FR doing the same.

[DC3 Dave]

I guess there will be more bad news in the next day or two with redundancy of many of the permanent workforce at SEN seemingly inevitable.

Sickening.

[southside bobby]

Wizz Holdings have so many airframes to absorb & as the only airline in expansionist mode in consequence will be heavily courted by all airports.

Gemma Collins or no perhaps could humbly suggest a STN base.

[BHX5DME]

Just confirming what we already knwo
Complete closure of the base and Easyjet will not operate any routes to Southend.
https://metro.co.uk/2020/08/17/easy...UBbKlFdsgG-S4JgBGSs3PyfzP8-4OenmRpwf48p--yoLY (https://metro.co.uk/2020/08/17/easyjet-confirms-closure-stansted-airport-base-despite-staff-protests-13139621/?ito=Facebook%20Groups%7Csocial%7CmetroukFacebook%20Groups&fbclid=IwAR1TgaBVsOiJQIUBbKlFdsgG-S4JgBGSs3PyfzP8-4OenmRpwf48p--yoLY)

[Hawthorne]

I wouldn’t be so sure about a Wizz pullout, SEN is probably even a contender for a base given their new Gemma Collins summer sun approach. The airport is pretty vulnerable though, for the same reasons EZY has withdrawn it’s not hard to imagine FR doing the same.

Why would they decide to open a base? Sibiu and Vilnius has good pax numbers, some of the busiest routes in SEN actually, yet they pulled them. Might be worth Ryanair trying to buy the airport off Stobart and having it as their main London hub

[LTNman]

Ryanair are masters of making a success out of an airport other airlines won’t operate from. Southend’s future could well be rosey once these dark days are behind us.

[Buster the Bear]

Wizzair have already publicly stated that if they can get more slots at Gatwick, they will operate more flights to supplement the routes north of the Thames.

[BA318]

Southend have a great guy working there on route development. Bernard Lavelle got LCY going when nobody wanted to fly there. It might take a bit but he knows what he’s doing.

[chesna152]

Southend have a great guy working there on route development. Bernard Lavelle got LCY going when nobody wanted to fly there. It might take a bit but he knows what he’s doing.

Unfortunately Mr Lavelle is long gone 👋

[pabely]

Might be worth Ryanair trying to buy the airport off Stobart and having it as their main London hub
Of course and have 50+ departures between 6am & 9am!

[DC3 Dave]

Of course and have 50+ departures between 6am & 9am!

Ok. The new guy? set it up and you delivered the knockout blow.

Sad as this thing is to me is after years of talking about 2.5 million pax pa, 2020 looked set to deliver. Incredible really from an airport that was breathing its raspy last breaths just over a decade ago. (Please ignore Mr Warwick Brady’s 20 million pax pa) Let’s just say he’s a very silly boy and leave it there.

But it let it be said. SEN is a modern facility that does not require a huge capital expenditure from a prospective owner. If, please God, a solution is found to this damn pandemic then maybe Stobart will find a buyer or partner that will take the airport into a brave new world and a sustainable future.

One thing I am convinced about SEN is no longer a crumbling terminal with a potholed runway. No one is going to take a wrecking ball to this airport any time soon.

[SKOJB]

Why would they decide to open a base? Sibiu and Vilnius has good pax numbers, some of the busiest routes in SEN actually, yet they pulled them. Might be worth Ryanair trying to buy the airport off Stobart and having it as their main London hub

Replace Stansted with near on 150 destinations? 😂

[AirportPlanner1]

As feared, Ryanair have also massively cut back on routes and frequencies from 31/8 almost across the board. There isn’t much left operating in September. Although to be fair there are also some pretty drastic cuts at STN too.

[LTNman]

With Ryanair targeting some of EasyJet’s SEN routes it reminds me of their arrival on the Luton Copenhagen service. They muscled in, Easyjet gave up the route and Ryanair cut capacity overnight taking most of the business back to Stansted. I think at one stage it was Luton’s busiest route.

Did Ryanair play its part in Easyjet pulling out?

[compton3bravo]

Again can some on here get into the real world of 2020. Travel has changed dramatically especially air travel, so let us try and discuss things rationally.
Regarding the easyJet, Ryanair, Wizz situation, it seems to me that easy are going to concentrate on Gatwick and Luton as are Wizz if they can get Gatwick slots with Ryanair concentrating on Stansted with a smaller operation at Gatwick and Luton. Jet2 concentrating at Stansted and as for Southend maybe the odd Ryanair service but I would not bank on it. Sorry but that is the REAL world in 2020.

[LTNman]

Seems a good summery, which I doubt many can argue with. Southend success was based on other airports having capacity issues, which even Stobart played on. Those issues have been removed.

Headline from less than a year ago. How the world has changed.

https://www.echo-news.co.uk/news/18041256.southend-airport-reveals-huge-expansion-plans-20m-passengers-year-ambition/

[DC3 Dave]

So the process of culling staff has begun at SEN.

https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.eveningexpress.co.uk/news/business/stobart-consults-with-staff-as-easyjet-pulls-out-of-stansted-and-southend-airports/amp/

[Barling Magna]

Whistling in the dark.....?


"Stobart Aviation Services provides check-in and baggage handling services to easyJet at both London Southend and London Stansted. As a result of the decision to close these bases, the company will enter a consultation process with the teams affected as part of a wider cost management programme within the aviation division. Warwick Brady, chief executive of Stobart Group, said: "We are disappointed that easyJet has taken the decision to close its airport bases serving the North and East of London. However, we expect that this decision will create significant opportunity for other airlines looking to take on established, popular and profitable routes. Though the 2020 summer and winter periods will continue to be challenging, we expect passenger demand for short haul leisure flying to increase through 2021, and we are in active dialogue with airlines regarding their interest in capitalising on these well-established, profitable routes." "

[Expressflight]

Southend success was based on other airports having capacity issues, which even Stobart played on. Those issues have been removed.

That is the crux of the problem which means that SEN is likely to fare worse than other LON airports during the recovery period. There will be so many other options available once the market starts to show increased activity, whenever that may be and it's a brave man who predicts a timescale for that. Warwick Brady's optimism that airlines will want to "capitalise on on these well-established (EZY) profitable routes" is a bold assumption when consolidation is likely to figure strongly in the plans of his target airlines. Ryanair could increase frequencies at SEN for Summer 2021(?) to soak up the previous easyJet market for which SEN is its natural departure airport or maybe not. The fact is that on one can say with any degree of confidence, in this unprecedented situation, what will happen and when. Stobart don't even have the capability now of taking on routes themselves as part of a SEN recovery. Hard times ahead I'm afraid.

[southside bobby]

With the known Stobart modus of seeking & utilizing public money possible truth is they are just hanging on for the Chancellor`s Autumn Statement hoping too for the Main Chance of at least one of their airport sites being named as a Freeport site...

[Hawthorne]

we expect passenger demand for short haul leisure flying to increase through 2021, and we are in active dialogue with airlines regarding their interest in capitalising on these well-established, profitable routes." "

Stobart really will have a tough couple of years ahead, if they’re lucky they might get someone else to fly to AMS as it was one of the busiest routes, otherwise over time I’d expect Ryanair may take any of the other routes if worthwhile rather than let a competitor in

[southender]

Sadly, SEN is ideally situated to cater for the large and relatively affluent catchment area of South Essex and East London and offers a better alternative to long and unpredictable journeys around various Motorways to get to LTN, STN or LGW. Primarily a holiday airport, business or domestic routes have never been a great success, we can only hope that when the situation returns to something like pre Covid times demand will return and with it the airlines.

[LTNman]

It is hard to see the way forward in the short term. Maybe SEN should promote the airport as the Farnborough of East London and the City?

[southender]

LTNman, if we could attract anything like the business movements Farnborough or Biggin Hill achieve, all might not be lost. We have, after all, a rather splendid Stobart Jet Centre

[virginblue]

Unfortunately Mr Lavelle is long gone 👋

When did he leave? His LinkedIn-profile still says that he is working at SEN.

[AirportPlanner1]

As gloomy as things are I believe SEN isn’t the London airport in the worst position - it does have some diversity beyond pax ops which surely puts it ahead of LCY. I’d imagine SEN also has more pax throughout than LCY.

[Tranceaddict]

When did he leave? His LinkedIn-profile still says that he is working at SEN.

Over a year ago

[Expressflight]

As gloomy as things are I believe SEN isn’t the London airport in the worst position - it does have some diversity beyond pax ops which surely puts it ahead of LCY. I’d imagine SEN also has more pax throughout than LCY.
I agree that SEN has more diversity potential than LCY but the latter doesn't really need that diversity as it handled 5.1 million pax in 2019.

[Barling Magna]

Wideroe are starting their services to SEN from Bergen and Kristiansand at the end of the month. I wonder how long they will last.....?

[davidjohnson6]

Will Norway be allowing people to enter from the UK without 14 days quarantine by the end of next week ? I think the criteria is less than 20 cases per 100,000 over 14 days. Data from ECDC shows the UK currently at 20.4 cases

Barling - could you provide a sample date with direct London-Kristiansand flights ? I can see only Southend-Bergen from 31 August. The earliest Southend-Kristiansand I can find is 02 November

[AirportPlanner1]

I agree that SEN has more diversity potential than LCY but the latter doesn't really need that diversity as it handled 5.1 million pax in 2019.

How exactly does LCY’s pax total for 2019 help things when it’s largest business markets which form the bedrock of its overall function aren’t in the office and aren’t travelling, and it’s biggest airline customer is focusing on Heathrow and has limited ops? With most of its busiest core routes on a skeleton schedule or not running at all, and it’s second biggest operator having collapsed in March...

[Expressflight]

AirportPlanner1

I would suggest that LCY's 5.1 million pax puts them in a strong position to recover over time once business travel starts to grow from its very low current base. If its prime customer, the City of London, doesn't generate that sort of travel demand over the next few years then perhaps we're in deeper doo-doo as a nation than we think we are. Perhaps you think that won't happen, which is fair enough, but I believe it will as businesses will need to maximise their efforts to recover/strengthen existing markets and grow new ones. Just my opinion of course, but I cannot see video calls and conferencing taking the place of face-to-face meetings. SEN was still making progress in 2020 as a growing, 'new kid on the block' leisure gateway and has suffered a severe kickback to those ambitions. As things stand I definitely see their need of more diversified operations being much greater than that of LCY.

[AirportPlanner1]

The issue isn’t recovery per se but the nature of it. It’s becoming clearer the nature of work and business will change, that’s not to say zoom takes over and face to face is dead but the likes of HSBC, Barclays etc have acknowledged they likely won’t return in same way. Plus financial services companies and roles have been quietly (quiet or hidden?) trickling elsewhere in Europe prior to something that cannot be mentioned. Fundamentally SEN’s core market hasn’t gone anywhere - unless the Government really do persevere with the worst version of the thing that cannot be mentioned - whereas LCY’s looks like it could dramatically and detrimentally change.

[Expressflight]

We'll have to agree to differ on our post-Covid hopes and expectations I think.

As far as Brexit is concerned that's certainly another unknown but is hardly unmentionable surely. I'll know perhaps by whether or not this post survives!

[Barling Magna]

Will Norway be allowing people to enter from the UK without 14 days quarantine by the end of next week ? I think the criteria is less than 20 cases per 100,000 over 14 days. Data from ECDC shows the UK currently at 20.4 cases

Barling - could you provide a sample date with direct London-Kristiansand flights ? I can see only Southend-Bergen from 31 August. The earliest Southend-Kristiansand I can find is 02 November

Actually I can't find any dates for Kristiansand to SEN at all now....... Bergen still showing from 31 August though.