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• 500th new employee as London Southend is fastest growing airport in Europe

500th new employee as London Southend is fastest growing airport in Europe

The sky really is the limit for London Southend airport as it welcomes the 500^thnew member of staff on site since summer 2011, at the same time it is highlighted as one of the swiftest developing airports in Europe, possibly even the world.

The milestone new starter is the appropriately named Stuart Holliday, who has just become the new Cleaning Manager at the Essex terminal. The 37-year old father of two from Wickford is in charge of a team of 20 people which is responsible for keeping the terminal building clean and tidy, as well as the easyJet and Aer Lingus planes which are based at London Southend.

Stuart says “My family is from Carlisle, where Stobart has a base, so I have always been really interested in the company and been aware of their reputation as great people to work for – so I was really thrilled when they got involved in London Southend Airport and started checking the website for vacancies. I was absolutely delighted when I got this job as I really wanted to be part of an expanding new enterprise and help it grow – and now I am. I’ve loved my first few days in the job, every day if different and it is a really exciting place to work.”

This comes shortly after The International Air Transport Association (IATA) included London Southend Airport within its classification of the Metropolitan Area of London – meaning the airport is now officially London Southend to the rest of the world so whenever anyone from Malaga to Orlando wants to fly to London, they will automatically be offered Southend as an option alongside the five other official London airports.  London Southend Airport has also just demonstrated almost 1500% passenger growth in June* making it the fastest growing airport in Europe. This is hot on the heels of a new easyJet survey that shows London Southend Airport customer satisfaction is sky high, with over 9 out of 10 passengers saying they were satisfied with their overall experience.

London Southend Airport Managing Director Alastair Welch says “Our 500^thnew member of staff at London Southend is further evidence of the role the redeveloped airport is now playing in supporting the regeneration of the local and wider economy.”

Hugh Aitken, UK Commercial Manager commented “Congratulations to London Southend Airport on the appointment of the 500^thstaff member and our best wishes to the new recruit.  The airport has gone from strength to strength since the launch of easyJet’s 10 routes from the new terminal and we‘re delighted to be a key part of the airport’s growing success.”

Commenting on the announcement, Aer Arann’s Interim Chief Executive Seán Brogan said, “On behalf of Aer Lingus Regional I would like to sincerely congratulate London Southend Airport on the appointment of its 500^thnew staff member and indeed on all of its achievements to date. Aer Lingus Regional is proud to be part of the redevelopment of London Southend Airport by providing important connectivity between London Southend and Ireland and also onwards connectivity on Aer Lingus services to the USA. I’m delighted to confirm that our Aer Lingus Regional services to Dublin and Waterford are performing well and we are confident that passenger numbers will continue to grow in the coming months ahead.” 

NOTES TO EDITORS

*Figures versus June 2011 from www.anna.aero

Over £100 million has been invested in London Southend Airport by owners Stobart Group since it was acquired in 2008. New facilities include a train station on the London Liverpool Street (just 44 minutes to the Olympic Park at Stratford or 53 minutes into the heart of the City), an Air Traffic Control Tower, terminal building, runway extension and radar. There is also a 4-star Holiday Inn within walking distance of the terminal and FBO facilities, which is due to open in summer 2012.  The 129-room hotel will feature a panoramic rooftop restaurant plus private dining, high tech conference facilities and several executive suites. The airport is predicting passenger growth to two million passengers per year by 2020. More information at www.southendairport.com

easyJet has 70 departures each week to Amsterdam, Alicante, Barcelona, Belfast, Faro, Geneva, Ibiza, Jersey, Malaga and Mallorca - with flights to Geneva starting in December and to Venice in February 2013. www.easyjet.com. Aer Arann also operates up to 10 flights per week from London Southend to Waterford (www.aerarran.com). Aer Lingus Regional, operated by Aer Arann, has three daily return services between London Southend and Dublin, where travellers are able to take advantage of transatlantic connections to New York, Boston, Chicago and Orlando (www.aerlingus.com).