London Southend Airport
London Southend Airport is positioned at the outskirts of Southend-on-Sea. It is situated in Essex, which is about 58 km from the center of London. It is an international airport and is one of London’s busiest airports. Read ahead as we discuss the airport in detail.
Table of contents
➡️ About London Southend Airport
➡️ History of London Southend Airport
➡️ Eating, Drinking and Shopping at the Airport
➡️ Services and Facilities at London Southend Airport
➡️ Getting from London Southend to central London
Basic Information
Before we move into the details, let’s get our basics ready.
Airport Code: SEN
Airport Location: 64 kilometres (40 miles) from central London
Airport Address: Eastwoodbury Cres, Southend-on-Sea SS2 6YF, United Kingdom
Contact Number: +44 1702 538500
Terminals: One terminal
Time Zone: GMT +0000, Greenwich Mean Time
About London Southend Airport
The airport code or the IATA of the London Southend airport is SEN. The airport has a single runway that is 1856 meters long. It lies on the south-west/north-east axis. It can handle wide body aircraft like the Boeing 767.
The terminal that is used today was first built in 2012. It has been extended by 90 meters. With this, it was tripled in size. The terminal that was operational earlier is now home to a business lounge and allows executive aircraft handling. It also has conference rooms.
Which?, a UK-based brand in the UK known for its consumer rights promotion activities, voted this airport the best in Britain for the years 2013, 2014, and 2015. It again voted it the Best London Airport each year from 2013 to 2019.
The London Southend Airport Co Ltd. runs this airport at present. It directly employs more than 150 employees. The airport has expanded over time, and it had about 500 people working in it in 2012. There are many companies located within the boundaries of the airport. Together, they employ more than 800 workers.
London Southend Airport handles cargo and business, passenger, and charter flights. It also handles fixed-wing aircraft and helicopter pilot training, in addition to private aircraft flying to some degree.
In April 2012, EasyJet began to operate at the airport. At this point, Aer Lingus Regional, an Irish Carrier, also began to offer flights to Dublin regularly. Together, all of this brought about an increase in the passenger numbers at the London Southend Airport in 2012. In that year, 721,661 passengers were recorded at the airport. In 2013, the number increased to 969,912. In 2014, there was a further increase with the passenger traffic hitting 1,102,358.
There was a decline in these numbers in the following two years. As of 2018, about 1.4 million passengers were using the airport. This was recorded to be the highest annual passenger traffic at London Southend.
History of London Southend Airport
Read ahead as we take you through a brief timeline of the airport’s history.
World Wars I and II
During the early years of this airport, it was an airfield that was established during World War I. It was established by the Royal Flying Corps. At that point, it had the most number of units and was the largest flying ground at Essex.
It was in 1915 that the Royal Navy Air Service (RNAS) took over it, and it began to be called RFC Rockford. It was then a night fighter station, after which it went back to being farmland until the 1930s.
In 1939, it was called RAF Rochford and was used as a satellite airfield during World War II.
1993 to 2008
It was in 1993 that this airport was sold to Regional Airports Ltd. by Southend Borough Council. It was here that it was rebranded after several years and called London Southend Airport.
In November 1988, the Lockheed L-1011 Tristar of Aer Turas landed at this airport for scrapping. This was the largest aircraft to land at this airport. It was in 2008 that the airport was put up for sale by Regional Airports Ltd.
The Stobart Group Ownership
On December 2 of 2008 Southend Airport was bought for £21 million by the Stobart Group. This group also operates the Carlisle airport. In 2011, EasyJet announced an agreement of 10 years with Stobart Group.
EasyJet now flies to 16 destinations from London Southend Airport. In 2012, the Buckingham Group Ltd. built a new terminal here. The former terminal was then used for private jets and even create an executive business lounge.
It was in February 2018 that Air Malta started flights to Malta.
Airlines and Destinations
One of the flights that operate from the London Southend Airport is Ryanair. It flies to Alicante, Faro, Bucharest, Vilnius, Malaga, and Dublin. It also has seasonal flights to Bergamo, Brest, Bergerac, Girona, and Reus.
Wizz Air has one of its destinations as Bucharest. The airline Wideroe has its destinations as Kristiansand and Bergen. The three busiest routes at the airport have been Amsterdam, Alicante, and Malaga.
Eating, Drinking and Shopping at the Airport
If you are hungry, want to grab a drink, or simply shop at the airport, these are the available options.
Dixons Travel: This is an electrical retailer that is a leading store at the airport. It has stores across the UK. You can go ahead and get some stylish phone cases or even a noise-canceling headphone from this store.
Costa Coffee: If coffee is the beverage of your choice, you can stop at this outlet before you travel. It is available both airside and landside. You can get a range of coffee drinks and even enjoy some delicious muffins, cakes, and sandwiches.
The Navigator: This is a traditional British pub where travelers can relax with a curated range of drinks. The environment at the pub is modern, but it takes a classic approach to the tastes and flavors that you will encounter.
Giraffe Stop: From early morning hunger pangs to late-night indulgences, you can address these with porridges, granola, pastries, and coffee at this store. You can also enjoy some fresh juice or a healthy milkshake, depending on your preference.
World Duty-Free: This is an exciting space for getting many brands duty-free. You can reserve the items you want to purchase beforehand. Just go ahead and pay for these at the airport.
WH Smith: This is an essential travel store where you can get all of your books, confectionary, accessories, food, as well as beauty essentials. You can also get items like cards, activity and puzzle books to keep yourself entertained.
Services and Facilities at London Southend Airport
London Southend Airport has many facilities available to keep the customer experience memorable. The following are offered at the airport.
Grab app: You simply have to download this app on your phone and place your order beforehand. You will have several options at your fingertips. You can simply collect your order in about 15 minutes and proceed with your travels.
Currency Exchange: The airport also offers a self-service currency exchange program. Called Fourex, you can go ahead and exchange more than 150 currencies and get them in Pounds, Dollars, and Euros. You can do this at the available kiosks.
SKYLIFE Lounge: This is a lounge where you can conduct business or simply relax. It is a quiet area where you can get some pleasurable time before you fly. You can reserve a seat by using SKYLIFE Premium. You can also make use of the Loyalty card.
Special Assistance: For anyone with special needs, there is the option of booking special assistance at the London Southend Airport. You simply have to inform the airline or tour operator 48 hours before you are scheduled to fly.
Lost Property: If you lose any personal items when you are at the airport, you can simply complete the lost property inquiry form. This will be responded to in about 24 hours.
Smoking Area: You will not be able to smoke after you have crossed security in the departure area at the airport. You can smoke at the smoking area on the terminal outside.
Getting from London Southend to central London
Many travelers look to access the central areas of London from the airport. Here are the ways in which you can get there.
Trains
If you just walk about 100 paces from the airport terminal, you will find the train station. You will get access to about six train services every hour. This is during the peak hours. You will be able to get to London in as little as an hour.
The train will take you from London Southend Airport to London Liverpool Street which is situated in London’s business area. It will take about 53 minutes. At Liverpool Street you can change to the London Undergound, also known as the Tube.
You can also connect to the London Underground before reaching this terminus by changing at Stratford. It takes the train 44 minutes to reach Stratford from London Southend Airport.
Taxi
You can also use the taxis at the airport to get to central London. For this, you can approach Andrews Taxis. This is the official taxi service at the airport and has been so for about five years. The taxis are comfortable and spacious. You can travel alone or with a group.
You just have to book at the ranks digital booking kiosk. It means that you won’t have to book a taxi in advance. For delayed late night flight arrivals, you can opt for the shared taxis that will take you to London Liverpool Street.
Bus Services
You can take the Ensign Jetlink X1 that operates once a day. It departs for central London from London Southend Airport at 23:40. They stop at the Embankment Station as well as London Victoria in central London.