PASSENGERS coming through Southend Airport fell from 650,000 to 500 in a six month period – as it launches a campaign to “speak up for travel”.

Southend Airport is joining thousands of employees and businesses from the aviation and travel industries for “Speak Up for Travel” – a campaign calling on the government to reinstate risk-managed travel abroad.

The airport is calling for a traffic light system for foreign travel and an expansion of the government’s “Gren list” countries where people do not have to self-isolate on return.

The campaign is also calling for more financial support, as Southend Airport stats it is on the brink of losing another summer’s worth of travel.

A spokesman said: “At Southend Airport, 2021 to June has seen just over 500 passengers compared to 650,000 during the same period in 2019.

“Aviation directly contributes more than £20 billion to the UK economy each year and pre-pandemic supported the employment of close to a million people, yet it continues to be one of the worst affected.

“Many sectors have reopened and begun recovery whilst aviation continues to be one of the hardest hit with little support and currently no light at the end of the tunnel.

“The current traffic light system resembles that of the travel corridors during 2020 but with far greater restrictions, uncertainty and cost implications. To open terminals and operate reduced schedules, often with limited passengers, simply increases pressure on an already struggling industry.

“Significant investments into safety measures have been supported by airports at their own cost, often including dedicated private test facilities, yet we continue to await the promised ‘meaningful restart’ with little update or progress from the Travel Task Force. “

The airport praised its employees for their continued resilience, but said that families were keen to begin travelling again with demand increasing.

The spokesman added: “Demand to travel is evident, families overseas wish to reunite, holidays and well-deserved breaks are overdue, but behind this are the aviation families, the hardworking teams who are the glue holding together our industry in this challenging time.

“The Southend Airport team has been incredible, from supporting the cargo operations to ensuring that safety continues to be paramount for colleagues and passengers, they are the heart of the airport.

“We stand together to raise awareness, encouraging the UK Government to reinstate a risk-managed approach around a safe return to international travel and to reconsider financial support offered to the sector.

“Trust in the vaccination roll out and provide clarity to rebuild and recover.”