Leisure carrier easyJet has expanded its UK presence with the opening its 10th UK base at London Southend Airport.
This strategic move not only creates 140 direct jobs for pilots and crew but also supports an impressive 1,200 indirect jobs within the local economy.
This expansion underscores easyJet’s commitment to UK growth, following its recent base launch at Birmingham International Airport in 2024.
Robust UK Leisure Travel Demand
Robust UK demand for both flights and package holidays. This year, easyJet is operating its most extensive summer schedule ever, deploying seven additional Airbus A320 family aircraft to its UK fleet.
This substantial increase translates to over 33 million seats to and from the UK this summer, exceeding last year’s capacity by half a million. Furthermore, easyJet is introducing 44 new routes, including three brand-new destinations.
As the dominant player in UK leisure travel, easyJet is responsible for a third of the sector’s growth this summer. The opening of the London Southend base alone accounts for 8% of this growth, highlighting its significant impact.
This expansion also directly supports the rapid growth of easyJet holidays, which is poised for its biggest summer season in 2025. Popular destinations like Palma, Dalaman, and Gran Canaria are expected to see a surge in package holiday bookings.
Based Aircraft and Flight Operations
The base’s establishment is made possible by easyJet’s growing fleet of modern, fuel-efficient aircraft. It supports a comprehensive short-haul leisure network, and the compelling value proposition of easyJet holidays.
The airline has stationed three A320neo aircraft at London Southend, facilitating inaugural flights to a range of destinations.
These include Tenerife, Marrakech, Antalya, Reus, Almeria, Pisa, Dalaman, Enfidha, Gran Canaria, and Malta. In the first week of operations, coinciding with the start of the aviation summer season, nearly 10,000 passengers are expected to embark on flights and holidays.
Southend Strategic Location
London Southend’s strategic location serves a catchment area comparable in size to Switzerland. There are approximately eight million residents within an hour’s reach, provides easyJet with significant growth opportunities in the UK leisure travel and package holiday market.
Kenton Jarvis, easyJet’s CEO, emphasized the importance of aviation in driving economic growth. “I am really pleased to be opening our newest base at London Southend today.”
“As the Government has recently acknowledged, aviation plays a crucial role as an enabler of economic growth. It provides much-needed connectivity and creating many skilled jobs for regions like these, which in turn contribute to the wider prosperity of the UK.”
He further highlighted how the new base consolidates easyJet’s position as the UK’s largest leisure airline, offering greater value and choice to its 50 million UK customers.
Leadership Perspectives
Jude Winstanley, CEO of London Southend Airport, further echoed this notion. “The opening of easyJet’s 10th base at London Southend Airport marks a significant milestone for both the airport and the local community.”
“The creation of wider employment for 1,200 jobs in the region, includes 140 new jobs for airport colleagues,. It reflects the positive momentum we are seeing as we head into our biggest summer for six years.”
She also noted the airport’s excellent connectivity, with a dedicated train link offering swift access to Central London and Stratford.
Aviation Minister Mike Kane acknowledged the critical role of aviation in unlocking economic growth. “Aviation is critical to unlocking economic growth across the country, and I’m delighted to see easyJet open its new base at Southend Airport.”
“We are committed to working hand in hand with the sector to help build a resilient UK workforce. Together with their plans to expand its fleet, I know this move will propel an aviation economic boom in the region. It will create hundreds of jobs across the sector.”
Conclusion
easyJet already served seven popular destinations from London Southend. It has now expanded its network to 20 routes with the basing of three aircraft. 140 pilots and crew, and engineers at the airport support the operation.
This expansion includes 13 new routes launched in the past 12 months. The airline is also expanding its winter offering with new services to Barcelona, Lanzarote, and Salzburg. It will also extend nine summer routes to operate throughout the winter season.
Today, the airline serves 21 UK airports, offering 536 routes to 137 destinations. These range across 29 countries in Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East. Collectively, it employs over 14,000 people across the UK.
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