Half of London’s extra summer seats on sale at London Southend Airport
London Southend Airport is flying high this summer – quite literally – after a new report has revealed it’s the fastest-growing airport in London.
According to aviation data experts RDC, London ‘SENsational’ Southend has outpaced its fellow major airport competitors when it comes to extra seats on offer for summer 2025. That’s right – while other airports in the capital have seen steady growth, London Southend has taken the top spot with a 173% increase since last summer.
RDC’s Global Account Director, Iain Smith, laid out the figures: “With summer well underway, we looked at which London airports are offering the most additional capacity this year. With 5% annual growth, London City is performing well, ahead of London Luton at 3%, London Stansted and London Heathrow +1%, and London Gatwick -2%.
“But the standout result was the 173% increase in seats delivered at London Southend this summer. To put that into perspective, of nearly one million extra seats added across all London airports between April and October 2025, almost half – around 460,000 – are at London Southend.”
In short, nearly half of London’s extra seats this summer are on sale at London Southend Airport. Pair that with its easy, speedy, friendly operation, and travel-lovers are chocks away with a winning combination of choice (with more destinations expected soon), convenience and the one thing every passenger dreams of in an airport: ease.
Jude Winstanley, CEO of London Southend Airport, couldn’t be happier with the latest data.
He said: “We’re thrilled that our growth this summer has been recognised by RDC. London Southend is driven by a commitment to our customers, and these results means even more choice, more seats and more sunshine escapes or city break getaways for people living in London, Essex and the wider region. We fully expect summer 2025 to be a year of industry-leading growth at London Southend!”
So what’s fuelling this travel boom? A big boost comes from easyJet, following the launch of a brand-new three-aircraft base at London Southend back in March – their 10th in the UK. The airline now offers up to 20 routes all year round, including hotspot favourites like Palma and Faro, plus brand new destinations for 2025 like Marrakech, Malta and Tunisia. And for those staying closer to home, there’s also a near-daily service to Newquay, Cornwall with Eastern Airways.
The numbers don’t lie. London Southend is on the rise – and climbing fast.
Exclusive offers and exciting route updates fly straight to your inbox with London Southend Airport’s community newsletter. Sign up here.
About London Southend Airport
London Southend Airport is one of the UK’s fastest-growing regional airports, with a 133% increase in flights compared to summer 2024 and 122 departures per week. Our dedicated on-site train station ensures seamless connectivity, with a 10-minute train-to-gate time and direct services from Stratford, London in 43 minutes and London Liverpool Street in just 52 minutes.
Renowned for sensational customer experience, we manage all key operations in-house, delivering an easy, speedy, friendly journey from arrival to departure. easyJet passengers rank us among the UK’s top airports for satisfaction and our own private London Southend Jet Centre is the fastest-growing in the country.
About RDC
RDC collects, analyses and delivers unique data to companies within and across the air transport industry, through online apps, APIs and datasets.