EasyJet's arrival could put sunny Southend on the map

Simon Calder extols the virtues of the Essex town and hub

- Simon Calder

For second-tier airports in southeast England, the airlines' summer season has begun with a bonanza of new routes.

Luton has gained yet another major airline - Jet2 - and now looks like the most competitive airport in the UK, if not Europe.

The Bedfordshire airport is home to easyJet; the main British base for Wizz Air; an important Ryanair base; and now the fourth big player, Jet2, is lining up for departure.

Gatwick gets a trio of Arabian destinations: Jeddah and Neom Bay in Saudi Arabia, plus Bahrain. It also has the first UK scheduled link to the Cape Verde Islands, with easyJet flying to Sal.

Stansted wins some new players. With Ryanair such a huge customer, the Essex airport desperately needs some diversity: Air Algerie will fly to Algiers and Transavia to Rotterdam. But the most dramatic changes are further south in Essex: at Southend-on-Sea.