FRANCE has emerged as the latest possible destination for Southend Airport passengers.

Dole-Jura, a growing airport near the Swiss border, has announced a twice-weekly flight to and from Southend will start in June.

Tickets for the route, which will be operated by Slovakian airline Danube Wings, are scheduled to go on sale within a week.

Dijon, Lyon and Geneva would all be within easy reach for passengers from Southend.

However, Southend Airport bosses have refused to confirm whether a deal has been struck.

A spokesman for Dole-Jura said: “We are pleased to announce the opening of a route to London Southend, operated by Danube Wings.

“From June to late August, Danube Wings will serve Southend two times a week, on Fridays and Mondays.”

Low-cost flights from Southend to nine overseas destinations, including Ibiza, Mallorca and Barcelona, will start in April, when budget airline easyJet sets up a base at the airport.

The new routes will complement the existing flights to Waterford in Ireland, operated by Aer Arann, and the new Ford charter service to Germany and Romania, which started this month.

However, there are currently no flights scheduled for France.

Chiefs at Dole-Jura are believed to be keen to exploit that gap, as well as cashing in on ferrying French fans to the London Olympics.

The airport spokesman said one-way flights to and from Southend would cost 89 euros, about £74, and go on sale on Tuesday.

Danube Wings has based an ATR 72 propeller-driven aircraft at the airport, which could carry a maximum of 70 people.

Dole-Jura is named after the nearby medieval town of Dole.

However Alastair Welch, Southend Airport’s managing director, could not confirm whether a deal had been finalised.

He said: “We are talking to a number of airlines and once anything is confirmed, we will announce it.”