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Firms forsee return to airport’s golden age
BUSINESSES are looking forward to a second golden age of the once-buzzing Southend Airport.
A bold blueprint to expand has been announced by Rochford and Southend councils and it is hoped the proposed train terminal and longer runway will help create 3,000 jobs.
Keith Hudson, deputy leader of Rochford District Council, said: "For many years our airport has languished and now we will see a renaissance."
His views are shared by firms based at the site and the proposed expansion has been welcomed by companies eager to see passenger numbers return to that of the 1960s, when figures reached 700,000 passenger flights in a year.
This has tailed off to around 30,000, but with the planned expansion it is hoped numbers could reach up to two million a year.
Firms at the airport are welcoming expansion and hope to improve on the 1,000 jobs directly connected to the airport.
The maths is simple. More planes would lead to a greater demand for skilled engineers. And Southend is full of potential, according to engineering firm ATC Lasham.
Manager Ian Dorling said the firm is in the third year of taking on engineering apprentices from Prospects College.
A handful of bright youngsters work with the firm and over a few years they develop into engineers, complete with City and Guilds certificates.
Mr Dorling said: "There is a wealth of good, young talent here in Southend and I think those people who are likely to benefit from expansion are the young people here."
He added skilled engineers and other workers often leave the airport to go to bigger sites such as Stansted and Luton, but this could be turned around by success at Southend.
Expansion at the airport would go hand-in-hand with expanding training for young aeronautical engineers.
ATC Lasham is in talks with Prospects College and hopes one day potential engineers can get a specialised qualification, which means they are authorised to inspect work carried out on planes.
At the moment apprentices learn about how to mend and fix metal at the college and their training is completed with skilled workers at the firm to get a City and Guilds in aeronautical engineering.
But the firm, like many others, is not concentrating on what may just be pie in the sky. There is a note of realism which is keeping their feet on the ground.
Mr Dorling explained: "I don't think the benefits of expansion will be immediate."
Bob Peck, the managing director of Inflite, an aviation maintenance and engineering company, is confident the development at the airport will not only bring increased business for firms already based there, but could see a growth in smaller companies moving into the area.
"The introduction of a new airline operator, using the airport for regular scheduled flights, will automatically increase the traffic loads and so give the opportunity of new business to existing maintenance firms at the airport," he said.
"The planned airport growth with its new infrastructure, will also mean larger passenger aircraft will be able to operate in and out of the airport comfortably.
"I think any major airline operator based here, or utilising the airport, would encourage smaller operators to consider basing their own operations here. Southend Airport has, this last year, been investing in improving terminal and airport facilities and this has been a confidence booster for firms at the airport."
Despite the current credit crunch, Mr Peck is confident the economic situation won't put off a potential new buyer for the airport.
He said: "I think expansion here will still go ahead.
"From a developer's point of view they will face the same situation wherever they go.
"Inflite is already developing and expanding its own facility by building new workshops that will allow a 33 per cent increase in capacity at the site.
"We are also installing new enlarged, electrically-operated hangar doors that will allow us to cope with larger passenger aircraft.
"Employing local engineering staff and bringing on apprentice engineers is key to our developing future."
For now, firms are left waiting for a new operator to take over the airport and stump up the millions needed for the ambitious plans before things really take off.
3:00am Friday 27th June 2008
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CommentPosted by: Richard Elmer on 9:01am Fri 27 Jun 08
Minor point - it should read 700,000 [bold]passengers[/bold] per year, not flights per year.
Minor point - it should read 700,000
passengers per year, not flights per year.
Posted by: southendreb, southend on 10:35am Fri 27 Jun 08
Training on the job by people that know about engineering. Is`nt that what happened in the 60s. hopefully the wheel wil go full circle, What we need now is a man with vision and drive, Any more Freddie Lakers out there.
Training on the job by people that know about engineering. Is`nt that what happened in the 60s. hopefully the wheel wil go full circle, What we need now is a man with vision and drive, Any more Freddie Lakers out there.
Posted by: dave turner on 11:51am Fri 27 Jun 08
Could some kind person please inform me where the alleged 30,000 passengers a year fly depart for and how many flights are involved.
I was under the impression that the runway is too short for most modern planes to take off fully laden.
If flights are operating 50 weeks a year, this means 600 per week.
Maybe the "Echo" has not yet got a proof reader for the articles they print.
Could some kind person please inform me where the alleged 30,000 passengers a year fly depart for and how many flights are involved.
I was under the impression that the runway is too short for most modern planes to take off fully laden.
If flights are operating 50 weeks a year, this means 600 per week.
Maybe the "Echo" has not yet got a proof reader for the articles they print.
Posted by: Norfolk on 1:10pm Fri 27 Jun 08
Dave,
The bulk of those passengers are Ford employees on the company shuttle to and from Cologne. These flights operate twice daily Tuesday to Thursdays and once daily on Mondays and Fridays. They use their own BAe146 aircraft.
Dave,
The bulk of those passengers are Ford employees on the company shuttle to and from Cologne. These flights operate twice daily Tuesday to Thursdays and once daily on Mondays and Fridays. They use their own BAe146 aircraft.
Posted by: southendreb, southend on 2:47pm Fri 27 Jun 08
It seems the optimistic figures of extra 3,000. jobs and 2 million passengers are dreamed up by southend and Rochford councils , Better discount those figures.
It seems the optimistic figures of extra 3,000. jobs and 2 million passengers are dreamed up by southend and Rochford councils , Better discount those figures.
Posted by: APR, Benfleet on 10:37pm Fri 27 Jun 08
[quote][bold]Richard Elmer[/bold] wrote:
Minor point - it should read 700,000 [bold]passengers[/bold] per year, not flights per year. [/quote] The article says
"700,000 passenger flights in a year"
Richard Elmer wrote:
Minor point - it should read 700,000 passengers per year, not flights per year.
The article says
"700,000 passenger flights in a year"
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