Irish regional carrier CityJet has reached a heads of terms agreement with Stobart Group to launch a network of up to 18 routes from London’s Southend Airport. The proposed up to four aircraft operation from April 2017 will bring up to 600,000 new passengers to Essex airport and complement the existing operations from easyJet.
London’s newest airport topped the poll with a customer score of 86 per cent - a one per cent increase on last year - and a maximum five star rating in four of the seven categories assessed (queues at bag drop, queues at security, passport control and baggage reclaim).
SkyWork is initially offering a single morning weekday rotation between London City and EuroAirport (plus a Sunday rotation) from July 19, 2015, but from September 1, 2015 it will add an evening rotation and a Saturday service to boost its schedule to 12 flights per week. All flights offer a continuation service from EuroAirport to Bern.
The company part of the independent Jota Group, which also comprises Jota Sport, Jota Design and Jota Historic was set up four years ago to cater for the travel and cargo demands of the motorsports industry, but has grown to be a leading air charter specialist across the UK and Europe, introducing the larger BAe 146-200 jet in October last year.
Speaking to Routesonline on the sidelines of the Routes Europe forum in Aberdeen, Scotland, UK, Roger Clements, chief commercial officer, Southend Airport, confirmed the Star Alliance member chose London Southend Airport for the service above other airports because of its efficient operations and fast access into Central London.
This ‘start up aid’ will be made available from the Regional Air Connectivity Fund which was announced by the UK government in June 2013 and is open to airports with fewer than five million passengers per year. This fund has already been partly distributed to support strategic routes to London from Newquay and Dundee but is now being extended to bids for more routes.
Swiss regional carrier SkyWork Airlines will move its twice weekday link between its Berne base and London from City Airport to Southend Airport from the start of the winter 2014/2015 schedules at the end of October, although it believes the switch will not impact its strategy to provide an efficient offering to the business traveller.
The independent Swiss regional carrier says the move to the "customer friendly” Southend Airport from October 26, 2014 at the start of the winter season will enable it to modify its schedule and provide better flight times for corporate travellers.
The Rt Hon Patrick McLoughlin MP, Secretary of State for Transport, declared the extension to London Southend Airport’s terminal officially open on April 7, 2014, while the airport was actively seeking to further expand its network at the Routes Europe forum in Marseille, France.
UK low-fare carrier Flybe has confirmed the identity of the new routes it will launch this summer from Southend Airport after agreeing a franchising agreement with Stobart Air: Rennes (France), Groningen (the Netherlands), Münster Osnabrück (Germany), Cologne Bonn (Germany), Caen Normandie (France) and Antwerp (Belgium.
Latest statistics from the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) shows that UK airports collectively reported a 3.4 per cent growth in total passengers in 2013 when compared to the previous year.
Just days after announcing a new seven-year agreement at its largest base, London’s Gatwick Airport, UK low-fare carrier easyJet has now confirmed it has agreed a ten-year deal at its London Luton Airport headquarters.
UK low-fare carrier Flybe is to open six new routes to destinations across Benelux and Northern Europe from Southend Airport after agreeing a franchising agreement with Stobart Air, the new corporate name for Irish regional carrier Aer Arann.
