NEW easyJet routes from Southend Airport are being snapped up three times faster than at Essex rival Stansted.

EasyJet, the UK’s largest airline, has been inundated with passengers wanting to buy flights from Southend, with the number of tickets sold double the expected amount.

Eight new routes from Southend Airport to Europe went on sale last Tuesday morning and have been selling like hotcakes.

It seems the only way is Alicante for Essex holidaymakers, with the Costa Blanca resort quickly emerging as the destination of choice.

An easyJet spokeswoman said: “The sales have been looking really good. There are clearly a lot of people in the Southend area trying to snap up tickets as soon as possible.

“The sales have actually been double what we have expected.

“On like-for-like routes that are sold at both Stansted and Southend airports, such as Alicante, the flights are selling three-fold higher.

“Alicante is definitely the most popular route we have seen so far.”

The spokeswoman said the figures are based on the first few days of sales, but the company would not disclose any figures on flights sold.

The company has also revealed twice as many flights have been sold to Alicante than to any of the other seven new destinations.

Last Tuesday, the company announced the latest holiday hotspots from Southend were Alicante, Amsterdam, Majorca, Malaga and Belfast. These routes are on top of Barcelona, Faro and Ibiza, which were announced in June. All flights start next April with two more destinations likely to be announced in September.

Each of the eight easyJet routes from Southend, except Faro in Portugal, are available from Stansted as well.

Alastair Welch, the airport’s managing director, said: “We are pleased but not too surprised at the early success of easyJet ticket sales.

“We know where people locally choose to fly.

“The whole airport team is looking forward to giving a very special welcome to passengers using our new facilities over the next year.”