AIRPORT bosses revealed plans for a second hotel as they came together to mark a decade of ownership by Stobart at Southend Airport.

Tuesday marked ten years since Stobart bought the airport and an anniversary event saw more than 50 people join key stakeholders for a series of talks on the future of the airport.

The new hotel is part of plans for the next decade.

Glyn Jones, chief executive officer of Stobart, said: “We will continue to invest in great people, use big data to understand our market and embrace technology and partnerships. We are absolutely determined to retain our title of Which? ‘Best Airport in London’, which we’ve been named five years in a row.”

Bosses invited six companies to join the event for a series of quick fire presentations explaining opportunities for technological advancements at the airport.

The runway is being resurfaced to allow a greater variety of planes to operate from the airport and in April Ryanair will arrive as part of a £225m deal creating hundreds of jobs.

The airline will base three aircraft at London Southend Airport creating 11 new routes.

There are also plans to extend the terminal, introduce a self-service bag drop area and increase the number of food and beverage outlets on offer to passengers.

Mr Jones said: “As you’d expect from London’s fastest growing airport, we’ve seen a lot of change over the last ten years - and we’re planning for even more change over the next ten.

“That’s why we have not only considered our achievements to date, but also looked forward to what the next ten years could bring – for both Southend Airport and the airport industry.”

In 2009 when Stobart took over Southend Airport there were just 3,000 passengers-a-year using the airport – in 2019 there is expected to be 2.5 million. Mr Jones added: “As we get bigger, we also want to get better. We have absolutely no intention of letting the passenger experience slip as we grow.”