London Southend Airport - What is to come?

September 15, 2014 by Joanna Harrison

Southend-on-Sea Borough councillors will discuss how London Southend Airport is boosting the local economy and performing well against a number of control measures set by the local authority.

The report will be presented to the Airport Monitoring Working Party tonight (Tuesday 16th September) and details how the Airport now supports employment for over 1,000 employees in 33 companies based within the airfield boundary.

Forty-two jobs were created in the past year. As part of the planning approval, the Airport is also monitored on a number of key obligations, including the number of air traffic movements (ATM’s).

The report summarises that there has been general compliance with the obligations contained in both the planning and lease agreements. Between 1st March 2013 and 28th February 2014

• The total number of ATM’s was 28,950 against an annual limit of 53,300
• Cargo ATM’s were less than 4% of the permitted annual limit
• There were only 19 Boeing 737-300 ATM’s against a limit of 2,150
• There were only 303 ATM’s during the night, against a maximum of 1,440 (after discounting 196 diverted, delayed or exempt ATM’s)
• At night, only 32% of aircraft took off towards or landed from the south-west and in every case this was in accordance with the Section 106 Planning Agreements.
• During the day, 32% of aircraft landed from the south-west (against a maximum permitted figure of 50%) and 43% of all arrivals and departures were from the south-west (against a maximum permitted figure of 50%).
• All such take-offs and landings were in accordance with the Section 106 Planning Agreements or were dictated by movement volumes.
• There has been full compliance with the day-time noise restrictions.
• There were only 26 infringements of ‘noise preferential routes’ with the airport issuing two penalties to the operators concerned.

Cllr Mike Assenheim, Executive Councillor for Regulatory Services, says: “The Airport is a glowing success story with continued investment, job creation and visitor numbers improving all the time, and this report shows that.

Nearly 1100 people are employed, creating opportunities for local people. “The report also shows that the controls that were put in place under the planning and lease agreements are working. They are in place to achieve a balance between protecting residents from the environmental impacts of the Airport, while delivering the significant benefits to the local economy of a revitalised Airport with the associated jobs created, and I am pleased to see that we seem to be getting that balance right. The Airport continues to go from strength to strength.