OPERATIONAL & RUNWAY INFORMATION

Opening Hours
THE AIRPORT AND ATC ARE AVAILABLE 24 HOURS A DAY.

Arriving Aircraft
Prior to first call to ATC obtain ATIS in good time ( ATIS frequency is 136.050 MHz and has a range of 60nm); make first call to ATC on the Approach/Radar frequency of 130.775. For VFR flights this should be done prior to reaching any of the VRP’s.

Radar service is available 0900-1800 local, and later by arrangement.

Prior Permission
Required (P.P.R.) for flights only between 2200-0800 local time, and for Instrument Approach training, circuit details and qualifying cross country flights at any time. For P.P.R., and notification of student flights, Tel. 01702 608120

Departing Aircraft
If not on a FPL, ensure you 'book-out' with the Flight Briefing Office staff in person or by phone (01702 608124/5), or through ATC. This helps reduce RT loading on frequency.

Prior to starting engines, obtain airport information from the Southend ATIS on 136.050 MHz. IFR flights are recommended to request 'Start-up clearance' first, so that any slot time revisions can be advised at this time. Between the hours of 0900-1800 local time, the first radio call after receiving the ATIS is to be made on the Tower frequency 127.725 MHz.

Pilots unable to receive the ATIS can obtain it by telephone on 0871 789 1365 (National Rate charged).

Air Traffic Control
The Air Traffic Control service at London Southend is provided by a team of 10 Air Traffic Control Officers, four Air Traffic Control Assistants and a specialised Air Traffic Control Engineering department.

ATC staff are all highly trained with the controllers and engineers licensed by the Civil Aviation Authority regulator to National and European standards.

ATC services are provided H24 from the airport. At present, Radar services are provided from 0900 local time until 1800 or later. An Approach Procedural service is provided outside of the radar hours of availability.

A Lower Airspace Radar Service ( LARS) is also made available by the airport to aircraft flying in the Southend area whilst not in controlled airspace. The hours for this service are the same as for the radar hours above.

More information about LSA's Air Traffic Control Services
can be found here.

Runway
London Southend Airport has one main runway 06/24.

Asphalt with porous friction course.
Length = 1605m Width = 37m

The Runway PCN is 39/F/B/X/T.

Runway Friction: The Southend Airport main runway 24/06 has a porous friction course considered to be similar in braking action to a grooved runway. For further information and the latest survey reports of runway friction and obstacles around the airport please ask the Airport Managing Director or our Air Traffic Controllers.

Airfield and Taxiway Layout and Hold Points
Click here for Aerodrome Chart. For the latest information, please check with UK AIP from www.ais.org.uk.

HM Customs and Immigration and Special Branch
HM Customs and Immigration and Special Branch police officers are based at the airport and are available throughout the airport’s operational hours.

Aerodrome Control
The controllers in the Tower at the Airport control ground movements and supervise the arrival and departure of aircraft. This is achieved by issuing radio instructions to pilots, based on what the controller can see visually, and also with the assistance of an Aerodrome Traffic Monitor (a radar display showing aircraft in the vicinity of the Airport) and Direction Finding equipment. Close liaison is maintained with the Approach/Radar controller at all times. If the aircraft is departing into controlled airspace, co-ordination is affected prior to departure with controllers employed by National Air Traffic Services (NATS plc) at the London Terminal Control Centre (LTCC - presently situated at West Drayton, just north of Heathrow). Depending on local traffic, departures may be transferred directly to the appropriate LTMA controller, or to the Approach/Radar controller at Southend first.

The Airport's approach radar service is also provided from the airport, and is completely funded from airport resources, with no external Government funding. Controllers use the radar to guide aircraft into and out of the airport. Once the Approach/Radar controller has finished with the inbound aircraft, it is usually transferred to Aerodrome Controller.

Standard Arrival Routes
The routes prescribed for the arrival of aircraft from controlled airspace at London Southend Airport are published by the CAA as a series of Standard Arrival Routes (STARs). These are focussed on the Airport's holding point ("stack") at SND/SPEAR which is located over the airport.

Arriving aircraft will not normally have to "hold" at SND/SPEAR (i.e. fly in a racetrack pattern whilst awaiting Air Traffic Control clearance to make their approach into the airport) unless weather or traffic conditions dictate that this is necessary. Many such aircraft are radar vectored for a "straight in" approach under guidance and instructions from the Approach/Radar controller.

From SPEAR there are prescribed instrument approach procedures to the Airport

Standard Departure Routes
Aircraft departing into the LTCC airspace adjacent to and overlying the Southend area, are cleared to depart from the Airport according to one of a number of Standard Departure Routes (SDRs). These are determined by the CAA. They are designed to avoid conflicts with aircraft arriving at, or departing from, the other London airports. Such departures from London Southend are usually routed either to the north-west, the north-east or the south-west of Southend. Having departed on a SDR, aircraft can be released from it to fly on radar vectors in order to avoid other traffic or onto a more direct track. They may also be cleared to fly at higher levels than those prescribed by the SDR.

The SDRs from London Southend are based on a network of directional beacons (VORs) with Distance Measuring Equipment ( DME). Southend departures use:

LAM/BPK – (Lambourne, situated at Stapleford aerodrome);
CLN – ( Clacton, situated north of the resort)
DET – (Detling, situated on the North Downs in Kent)

Navigational Aids
The Airport has Instrument Approach Procedures to both runways:
Runway 24 - ILS, NDB or SRA
Runway 06 - NDB or SRA

ILS.
Localizer Frequency 111.35 MHz, coded I-ND.
Glidepath Frequency 332.15 MHz, coded I-ND.

ILS reference datum height 47ft.
3.5 degree Glidepath.

DME.
Located on aerodrome in association with the ILS, can be used for NDB / SRA approaches. Channel 50Y, coded I-ND, frequency paired with ILS, indicates zero range at Threshold of Runway
06 & 24.

NDB. (L)
Frequency 362.5 KHz, coded SND range 20 nautical miles.

5 Visual Reference Points are established for use by aerodrome and enroute traffic as follows: