PRIME Minister David Cameron has been invited to open the new terminal extension at Southend Airport.

The airport boss said the opening of the £10million extension, expected early next year, was the right time for a visit after a total of £120million of investment by the Stobart Group.

Anew security area, new check-in desks and new toilets inside the 90m extension are already open.

The final part of the project – a new departure lounge with more cafes and shops – is expected to be ready in the new year.

Operations director David Lister said: “We feel the time is right for a visit by the Prime Minister to officially open the last stage of Southend Airport’s regeneration and see what we have to offer here.

“His visit would be a fitting way to mark the culmination of this landmark project and look to a bright future for the UK aviation industry.”

More than 520 jobs have already been created after the Stobart Group poured money into the airport, including a new railway station, traffic control tower, terminal building and radar, as well as extending the runway.

A four-star, 129-room Holiday Inn opened at the airport in October 2012.

Mr Lister said: “The completion of the terminal building marks the conclusion of a six-year regeneration of Southend Airport by its owner, the Stobart Group.

“It has spent more than £120million since 2008 regenerating the airport – a perfect example of private sector investment, working in partnership with the Government, to create a transport infrastructure that includes not just planes but also connectivity with trains.

“This investment has also made a significant impact on the Essex and wider economy, with more than 520 new jobs created to date.”

James Duddridge, Tory MP for Rochford and Southend East, invited Mr Cameron to the airport during Prime Minister’s Question Time earlier this month, crediting the development with boosting employment in his constituency.

He is also understood to have been lobbying his party leader to open the extension behind the scenes.

A spokesman for Mr Cameron said: “If the airport wishes to invite him, it can send an invitation and it will be considered.

“We will respond when that decision is made.”