THE COUNCIL says it is ‘uncertain’ of Southend Airport's future but remains confident it will ‘bounce back’ from financial troubles.

Southend council moved to allay fears just a day after the Echo revealed the airport would be closing its only terminal until next year and suspending all passenger flights.

The airport, and the aviation industry across the country, has struggled with the financial impact of the coronavirus pandemic which saw planes grounded for long periods and demand for flight disappear overnight.

The lack of demand for passenger flights had led budget airline giants Ryanair and Easyjet to abandon Southend airport, with the former terminating its presence at the airport this week and the latter last year.

“London Southend Airport (LSA), along with the aviation industry globally, has had to deal with many unprecedented challenges throughout the course of the pandemic,” Cllr Carole Mulroney, cabinet member for environment, culture, tourism and planning, said.

“With the recent Ryanair announcement, and alongside the decision to halt all passenger flights until January 2022, the situation remains uncertain and we will remain in communication with the airport and colleagues at Rochford District Council. We realise that currently the operations at the airport will rely on freight and night flights and we continue to monitor these in light of the environmental concerns.

She added: “LSA is a significant employer for the local area and a supporter of economic recovery and growth in the town, and will no doubt adapt and bounce back from the challenges they currently face.”

Aviation as an industry has been one of the worst affected by the pandemic. Last month Heathrow, the UK’s largest and busiest airport, reported Covid-19 pandemic losses totaling £3.4 billion.

UK citizens made just one million journeys by plane in the second quarter of 2021 – 95 per cent fewer than in the same period in 2019.

The latest Office of National Statistics figures also show British passengers spent just £1.1billion on flights abroad, down 93 per cent on the same quarter in 2019.

Several relief measures were announced for the industry in Rishi Sunak’s budget last month, which will see charges on domestic flights slashed – a move criticised by environmental campaigners – and further financial support for airports over the next six months.