SOUTHEND Airport is continuing to grow from strength to strength after easyJet announced it is re-opening its base - increasing the number of destinations on offer to 15.

From March, fliers from Southend will be able to enjoy Turkey’s turquoise coast in Dalaman and Antalya, Pisa’s leaning tower, the markets of Marrakech and the famous beaches of Gran Canaria.

Customers can also see look forward to seeing historic Tunis, thanks to the proximity of Enfidha to one of north Africa’s hidden gems.

Echo: Destinations - All the available locations to fly from Southend Airport Image: easyJetDestinations - All the available locations to fly from Southend Airport Image: easyJet (Image: DotDash)

This comes as easyJet has announced it will be opening a new base at Southend Airport for summer 2025.

The base, which will be the 10th in the UK, will have three 186-seat neo aircraft and create 130 new jobs in the area from March next year.

These destinations will join the airport's current flights to French's romantic capital Paris, artistic Amsterdam in the heart of the Netherlands, picturesque Alicante in Spain, historic Faro in Portugal, stunning Malaga in Costa del Sol, the famous island of Palma de Mallorca, and last but not least global diplomacy and banking hub Geneva, in Switzerland.

The American private equity giant Carlyle has also officially taken control of the airport after its takeover bid was completed on Thursday morning.

Carlyle, which also owns part of JFK airport in New York, now owns 82.5 per cent of Southend Airport.

 

 

 

The announcement of the new investment comes after a determined fightback from the pandemic.

Flights were grounded around the world during the Covid pandemic and Southend Airport faced a £21.5 million loss as the number of travellers plummeted to all-time lows.