Annual passenger numbers at London Southend Airport have topped 1m for the first time after near-25% growth during 2017.

East Anglian Daily Times: Passenger numbers at London Southend Airport are on the up. Picture: Simon FowlerPassenger numbers at London Southend Airport are on the up. Picture: Simon Fowler (Image: Simon Fowler)

A total of nearly 1.096m travellers passed through the airport last year – including scheduled, chartered, diverted and private flights – compared with just under 877,600 in 2016, an increase of 24.9%.

Stobart Aviation, which owns the airport, said a key reason for its growth was increased awareness of “the quick and hassle-free experience” it offered compared with larger airports, together with its growing range of destinations and an improved retail offer.

Glyn Jones, chief executive of Stobart Aviation, said: “Reaching over 1m passengers is an important moment for us. 2017 saw us make important additions to the retail offering in the terminal as well as adding a significant number of new routes, with more still to come.”

He added: “In addition to new routes, passengers are also increasingly deciding ‘small is more beautiful’ and prefer the relaxed, simple, easy and speedy airport experience we can offer rather than the bigger airports.”

Southend Airport offers more than 30 domestic and European leisure and business destinations, the most popular of which last year included Rennes and Amsterdam. Top predictions for summer 2018 include Croatia (with London Southend offering routes to Dubrovnik, Zadar and Pula), Czech Republic capital Prague and Malta.