Popular low-fare Irish carrier, Ryanair, has agreed a five-year-long deal with Stobart Group to open a new base at London Southend Airport.
The exciting new partnership, will see three Ryanair planes operating out of the airport from summer 2019, with 13 links to eight countries, including six new destinations.
Warwick Brady, CEO, Stobart Group, said: “Passengers are increasingly turning to London Southend Airport amid the capacity crisis found elsewhere in the capital, where holidaymakers and business travellers face frustration from overcrowded airports, impacting on customer service.
In contrast, London Southend Airport offers an excellent, efficient passenger experience, and we are delighted that this is becoming increasingly recognised, as demonstrated by the tremendous momentum within our aviation division.”
The five year agreement, which is extendable to 10 years, will see Ryanair make a $300million investment in the new routes, operating over 55 weekly flights and creating 750 on-site jobs per year. It will also enable the airport to welcome at least one million additional passengers in the first year and in excess of five million in the first five years.
We have a clear and focused strategy to grow our airport in order to welcome five million passengers a year by 2022. This long-term partnership agreement with a leading airline such as Ryanair will help us achieve that aim. Since joining Stobart Group over 12 months ago, I have been working closely alongside the team at London Southend to secure a major airline that will allow us to deliver on our growth targets. This agreement demonstrates that we now have the right team, skill set and strategy in place to deliver on our stated ambitions.
Warwick Brady, CEO, Stobart Group
