Ryanair at Southend?

I've heard rumours, albeit unsubstantiated, that FR are considering using London Southend Airport. Has anyone else heard anything or even consider it a possibility? It is perfect for Ryanair, it's small, uncongested, has cheap landing fees, is officially a London airport and has a direct rail link with London with journey times of around 50 mins.
I'd love to see it.

Won't happen due to length of the runway. The airport can only just about handle the 738 empty

Mushroom wrote:Won't happen due to length of the runway. The airport can only just about handle the 738 empty

Isn't the runway being extended as part of the big airport upgrade? What's the minimum length needed for 737-800s?

[quote="Rich00capIsn't the runway being extended as part of the big airport upgrade? What's the minimum length needed for 737-800s?[/quote]

In fact it is.
=> "In January 2008 Regional Airports Ltd put the airport up for sale. It was bought 2 December 2008 by the Stobart Group for £21 million. The airport is now part of the Stobart Air division of the Stobart Group, which also operates Carlisle Airport. Following a local Council consultation, a planning application for a 300m runway extension was submitted to Southend Borough Council 13 October 2009, who decided in favour of the application on 20 January 2010."

The extension would make the runway length 1900m which could easily be used by Ryanairs B738, although not exactly 100% full. To compare: Belfast City has 1830m and Derry 1967m.


For those interested in a bit of Southend Airport history...:

"Southend was the base for British World Airlines (BWA), who previously operated as British Air Ferries (BAF) and, before then, as British United Air Ferries (BUAF) — formed from the merger of Channel Air Bridge (based at Southend, and famous for operating the Carvair) and Silver City Airways.
BAF/BWA owned many Vickers Viscount turboprop airliners, fitted out for passenger and cargo operations. These aircraft, dating from the mid/late 1950s to the early 1960s, were originally owned and operated by British European Airways (BEA), one of the two main predecessors of the present-day British Airways. BWA retired and sold these aircraft in the late 1990s. From the 1970s to the early 1990s, the airline also owned and operated several Handley Page Herald turboprops. In the 1990s, BWA operated many different aircraft types including BAC One-Elevens, British Aerospace 146s, British Aerospace ATPs, Boeing 737-300s and a Boeing 757.
The airline ceased operations late in 2001, affected by the downturn caused by the 11 September attacks and bringing to an end an airline with over 50 years association with the airport.
Channel Airways, (originally East Anglian Flying Services), one of the UK's five leading independent airlines of the 1960s, had its administrative headquarters as well as its main operational base at the airport until its demise in February 1972.
Flightline (UK) was an airline formed in 1989 headquartered at Southend, where they also had a maintenance/engineering base for their own and third party aircraft. They mainly operated British Aerospace 146 aircraft on ad-hoc charters, and an Avro RJ100 regional jet with which they operated a regular service between Southend and Cologne from 7 June 2006 to 1 December 2008 on behalf of Ford Motor Company as a corporate shuttle. Flightline went into administration on 3 December 2008.
Region Air was a small commuter airline based at Southend in the 1980s and early 1990s that provided services to Brussels, Rotterdam and Paris using Embraer EMB 110 Bandeirante and Jetstream 31 aircraft"

There is an interesting article on Southend airport (SEN) in "Airliner World" magazine for september 2010, on sale now.
About the redevelopment process :
- a new Air traffic Control tower is being built and will be operational at the end of this year
- a new airport railway station is due to open in september - with a 50 minutes journey to London Liverpool Street station.
- a new passenger terminal is due for completion in the third quarter of 2011.
- a planning application for the runway extension has been approved on March 19. The preliminary work is due to commence this autumn, for completion by the winter of 2011.
The current 1605 m runway will be extended to 1905 m, giving an available take-off ditance of 1799 m. This will be enough to enable aircraft up to Airbus A319 and Boeing 737-700 size to depart with full passenger and fuel loads.

Good old SEN ! It brings back many happy memories of Channel Airways and British Air ferries, of Viscounts, Carvairs and Bristol 170 - making OST-SEN, at one time, one of the busiest routes in the world ...