British budget airline easyJet has announced it will close or cut back at three UK airports.
EasyJet will be closing up shop or drastically reducing flights at three locations starting on 1st September with a total of 670 job losses. The airports affected are Stansted, Southend and Newcastle Airports, with the biggest blow being a total closure at Southend, which currently services 21 cities.
The decision has been attributed to the fallout from the global pandemic, and the airline has stated that the choice was “difficult”.
Johan Lundgren, easyJet’s chief executive officer said, “We have had to take the very difficult decision to close three UK bases as a result of the unprecedented impact of the pandemic and related travel restrictions, compounded by quarantine measures in the UK which is impacting demand for travel.”
A spokesperson from Southend who spoke to BBC said that the four easyJet airplanes based there carried over a million passengers in 2019.
“These are leisure focused routes, which we expect to be attractive to other airlines, she said. “As such we are in active dialogue with airlines regarding their interest in capitalising on these well-established, profitable routes.”
With a reported 187 jobs at Southend on the line, it clearly is a great loss to the local economy of this south Essex-based airport. EasyJet is not expected to even consider returning until 2025, leaving a large gap in service for travellers in the area.
Southend does not service Nice Côte d’Azur directly, and it is not yet clear how the abridged service will affect passengers going to and from Stansted or Newcastle.
 
 
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