THE boss of Southend Airport has spoken of his vision for the future of south Essex on the back of its £30million development plans.

Managing director Alastair Welch says the airport could eventually handle two million passengers a year, based on a model which has been successful at Southampton Airport, in Hampshire.

The port city’s airport handles 1.96 million passengers annually, and is home to 15 airlines and operators serving 43 destinations across the UK and Europe.

Mr Welch said of Southampton: “It serves both business and leisure needs to a wide choice of destinations. It also operates aircraft up to 150 seats or so, and that’s really where we would like to be in ten years.”

A recent planning submission by Southend Airport owners, the Stobart Group, spelled out its £30million development plans, which include an extended runway and a new control tower.

If the expansion of the airport gets the go-ahead, it would have a significant knock-on effect on employment, both at the airport and the area as a whole and, long-term, could create as many as 6,700 jobs.

Mr Welch said: “More aircraft will require more engineers and maintenance, more air traffic controllers, more baggage handlers and ground staff, more firefighters, more Customs workers and so on.

“A mini-town would develop around it, and it would also create more than 1,000 additional jobs in passenger-facing roles.”

Although upping passenger numbers at Southend from the current 48,000 to two million annually seems ambitious, Mr Welch is confident the airport would attract such numbers given time.

He said: “Our challenge is to get there progressively, and that will be through meeting local demand and also by looking further afield.

“There are one million journeys made by air by people who live within Southend, Rochford, Basildon and Castle Point to Europe each year, so we are aiming to support that demand, much of which is to the Iberian Peninsula, but also to support inbound travel to London, which is a key factor of our new railway development.”

That railway development is already under way, with £12million set to be spent on a new station on the Southend Victoria line, which will enable passengers to be in central London in around an hour.

He said: “Inbound passenger traffic to London currently has to go to other congested airports in the area.

“Flights landing here could get in 20 minutes ahead of slots at other airports.

“That means for airlines that they would be able to be on the ground quicker, so they are burning less fuel, their staff costs are lower, and their maintenance costs overall would be lower from reduced total flying time, so it saves them money, and also helps the environment because it saves fuel.

“For passengers, they would clear through the airport and be on the train within 20 minutes, so you could be in central London faster than you would have even cleared through Gatwick.”

Although the Southampton model is a successful one to emulate, there will be key differences.

Mr Welch said: “Employment at Southampton is less than what we currently have at Southend, and Southampton doesn’t have flying clubs. We are very clear that we want to continue to develop these clubs as we grow. Manchester airport is massive, and that still has flying clubs, so we know it can be done. It’s the same with the cargo. That happens 24 hours a day and will be continuing as such.”

Restrictions on flights at the two airports also differ, with overnight flying prohibited at Southampton, whereas Southend will continue to operate some night flights, although on a much reduced basis to those permitted at present.

Mr Welch said: “Passenger activity would not be happening at night, it would just be things like private jets, niche cargo flights, and flying clubs operating at night.”

He added the number of hours night flights were permitted would be reduced to seven-and-a-half per night, and night flights would be reduced to 120 a month, an 87 per cent reduction.

Mr Welch said only the quietest aircraft would be allowed to fly at night and, with the exception of emergency flights, night flights by helicopters would be banned.

As the countdown to the London Olympics begins in earnest, Mr Welch is keen to use the Games to show the world what the airport and the town have to offer.

He said: “We are aiming to have our facilities in place by summer 2011 to demonstrate they are ready and capable, and will be the most accessible airport by mainline train straight into Stratford.

“We see the Olympics as a very effective platform for promoting not just Southend, but the whole south Essex area.”