• Easyjet
    easyJet
    IATA/ICAO Code:
    U2/EZY (UK) | EC/EJU (Europe) | DS/EZS (Switzerland)
    Airline Type:
    Low-Cost Carrier
    Hub(s):
    Amsterdam Schiphol Airport, Berlin Brandenburg Airport, Geneva Airport, London Gatwick Airport, London Luton Airport, Milan Malpensa Airport
    Year Founded:
    1995
    CEO:
    Johan Lundgren

London Southend has welcomed back scheduled passenger flights, a crucial next step in its recovery after an extraordinarily tumultuous period. All of its passenger carriers left, including easyJet, Ryanair, and Wizz Air.

While the return is brilliant news, London Southend is the UK's 35th busiest airport by seats for sale this summer, positioned in-between Kirkwall and Stornoway. If flights are examined instead, the use of bigger aircraft means it falls to 48th, in-between Fair Isle and Foula, also in Scotland.

Passenger flights have returned

May 1st marked the return of easyJet to London Southend. It resumed Palma, a market that was last served by Ryanair in October 2021. And on May 2nd, the day of writing, Faro will relaunch. This was last served in September 2021, also by the Irish ULCC.

easyJet is Southend's only scheduled passenger airline this summer. According to Cirium data, it has 56,000 departing seats across three routes.

Its route network is as follows. Note that all end on October 28th, two days before airlines switch to winter schedules. Will Southend secure winter flights too?

  1. Palma: started May 1st; 4x weekly; ends October 28th
  2. Faro: starts May 2nd; 2x weekly; ends October 28th
  3. Malaga: starts May 4th; up to 6x weekly; ends October 28th

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Obvious opportunities

Of course, Malaga, Palma, and Faro are highly traditional and well-demanded sun-and-spade markets, which easyJet previously told me tend to do especially well from the airport.

According to the UK CAA, Malaga was Southend's third-busiest market in 2019, with Faro 4th and Palma 6th. In contrast, Amsterdam ranked 1st, Alicante 2nd, and Dublin 5th.

Not surprisingly, easyJet has chosen some of Southend's largest markets – and, more importantly, some of the strongest performing financially.

easyJet's first flight back at London Southend
Palma to London Southend began on May 1st. It used OE-IJL (previously registered G-EZUG), an 11.1-year-old A320ceo. Image: Flightradar24.

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Southend's strongest routes in 2019

The following figure shows approximate Southend route performance in 2019 using data from RDC Aviation.

Palma ranked best for both easyJet and Ryanair. easyJet generated estimated profitability of £1.34 million with an average base fare of £81.90. Palma had some of the best profit margins thanks to higher fares; no wonder it started first. Faro also did well, especially with easyJet.

Notice that while Malaga features in the following figure, it is by Ryanair and not easyJet. That is despite easyJet serving it between May 2012 and August 2020. However, the exit of Ryanair will boost the opportunity for its orange competitor in what was Southend's third-largest market. And with a near-daily service, easyJet is clearly confident.

Southend's most profitable markets in 2019
With thanks to Iain Smith, RDC Aviation's Commercial Director. Image: via RDC Aviation.

Alicante, Ibiza, and Geneva?

While past performance is no certain indication of future potential, other good opportunities are Geneva (approximately £1 million profit in 2019), Alicante (£720,000), and Ibiza (£550,000).

However, neither Alicante nor Ibiza are easyJet bases – but both are Ryanair bases. Might the carrier return?

If Palma or Iberia were to appeal to easyJet, it'd either need a base at Southend or they'd have to be served on a so-called 'W' basis. This is where they'd use aircraft and crew stationed at another airport, such as Palma, routing Palma-Southend-Ibiza-Southend-Palma. However, that'd probably be problematic given the longer sectors.

Notice Geneva, the second-strongest performing destination in 2019. It is, of course, usually a winter destination for skiing. Might it return this winter using Geneva-based aircraft? easyJet operates Aberdeen, Bournemouth, and Southampton on a winter-only basis.

Then there are completely different opportunities, especially from smaller operators at other London-area airports as capacity at those places increasingly returns to normal. Might they be tempted to Southend due to its low costs, start-up incentives, and no slot restrictions?

What routes would you like to see from London Southend? Let us know in the comments.