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London Southend Airport, Southend-on-Sea, Essex, Business Opportunities

London Southend Airport, which has recently received a multi-million pound investment from the Stobart Group, is a long-established regional airport for South East Essex and the Thames Gateway.

A major commercial aircraft maintenance centre with over 50 businesses on site and planned growth in commercial and leisure passenger service based at Southend Airport. Companies based there at the airport include Ipeco Holdings Ltd who design, manufacture and supply flight-deck seating for over 300 airlines and operators and Inflite Ltd who provide design, machining, fabrication, component repair, electrical loom manufacture, and surface treatment services, to the Aerospace and Defence Industries and have specialist aircraft maintenance facilities at the airport.

ATC Lasham – approved to perform airframe maintenance up to D checks on a range of Airbus and Boeing aircraft, backed up with a complete package of added-value services for commercial, VIP and cargo operators.

The Stobart Group

Already a thriving business location for the aviation sector, the significant investment made by the Stobart Group following their purchase of the airport means that London Southend Airport will see significant expansion.

The investment plans include a new control tower, an extended runway, a new passenger terminal building, a new railway station and new hotel? The runway extension will significantly improve the type of aircraft able to use the airport and the destinations that can be reached from London Southend. The new railway station will connect will improve connectivity from the airport to Central London and Stratford International, and thus with improved passenger facilities will make the airport a major Gateway to the 2012 Olympic Games.

Work is well underway on the new station, which is scheduled to open in September this year. The construction phase of the new control tower providing much improved views of the runway is due to complete in August allowing the fit out of state of the art equipment to begin. The new tower is due to be operational in early 2011. Work is planned to start on the brand new re-sited terminal and runway extension in September this year. Future plans at the airport also provide opportunities for further. In development on the airfield with a number of key sites already earmarked to attract new businesses to the airfield. Early 2010 saw the opening of a brand new skills academy based at the airfield. The academy has around 40 apprentices ensuring that the pool of labour skills grows, allowing the expansion of the aerospace cluster.

Why come to Southend?

• Shortest flight distances to Europe with excellent onward transport links within the Thames Gateway. On average flight times are 20 minutes shorter than other London airports.
• A low cost business base for the sector with significant development opportunities
• A regionally and nationally important aerospace cluster of companies based at the airport
• Strong business services sector based in Southend on Sea with a vibrant leisure and tourism market
• A multi-million airport development scheme – including new control tower, terminal building and high-quality hotel – is currently being progressed to extend the range of passenger services facilitated by the new airport railway station

Useful links

• Video interviews with Alastair Welch, and Ian Dorling
• Q&A with Alastair Welch, Managing Director, Southend Airport
• Stobart Group
• Southend Airport