Airport number six is on its way

London will get its sixth major international airport when easyJet starts flying from Southend before the Olympics.

Southend was unveiled yesterday as the new base for easyJet, which will launch 70 flights a week on 10 scheduled routes in April 2012.

The low-cost airline expects to fly more passengers into London next summer than any other airline, as Southend will be the closest airport to the Olympics.

There are three new routes that have already been confirmed: Barcelona, Faro and Ibiza. The other seven European destinations will be disclosed soon. EasyJet expects to attract many holidaymakers heading to the Spanish resorts but also business travellers.

Southend, which is close to the mid-Thames estuary site, in Essex, was Britain’s third biggest airport 50 years ago and served as the initial base for Sir Freddy Laker’s pioneering cut-price New York Service. It fell into rapid decline with the rise of Gatwick and Stansted and now has only a few flights per week to Jersey and to Ireland.

A newly-built control tower at London Southend Airport is now fully operational thanks to the Stobart Group, which has invested millions of pounds in the project. A runaway extension, a new terminal building and the railway station are due to be finished this autumn.

There is some good news for those who are always in a hurry; passengers will not suffer long queues as the airport has been designed for short-haul travel and there won’t be long distances to travel through the terminal.