Having last operated the route in 2020 before the global aviation industry ground to a halt as the pandemic spread across the world, easyJet has just re-commenced scheduled services from London Southend Airport (SEN) to Geneva (GVA), the ski gateway for the Alps
The low-cost carrier flew its first planeload of snow-hungry travelers from the Essex airport to the slopes on December 16, 2023, using an A320neo (registered HB-AYE) operated by its Swiss subsidiary, easyJet Switzerland.
EasyJet operates three flights per week to Geneva with flights departing on Wednesdays and Saturdays. The outbound flight (flight number EZS1295) arrives at Southend from Geneva at 10:30 local time and departs for Geneva as EZS1296 at 11:30.
“We are really pleased to be launching another route from London Southend to Geneva this winter,” said Ali Gayward, easyJet’s UK country manager, announcing the return of the route in July 2023. “It will be popular with those hitting the slopes on winter ski holidays, exploring the mountains, but also as a global hub, it will appeal to those traveling for business too. We now offer more choice and great value for customers traveling with us by further expanding our services at Southend.”
“We are delighted to be serving our customers a wider range of destinations this winter, all with low fares and the warm welcome our crew are famous for,” he added.
easyJet is now offering flights to seven destinations from Southend Airport which is located 40 miles (64km) from central London and is London’s sixth largest airport behind Heathrow (LHR), Gatwick (LGW), Stansted (STN), Luton (LTN), and London City (LCY).
The carrier has been reaffirming its presence at the airport throughout 2023 and now operates services on routes to Malaga (AGP), Palma de Mallorca (PMI), Faro (FAO), Amsterdam (AMS), and Paris (CDG).
The carrier’s decision to add Geneva to its growing network from Southend derives from the fact that the carrier has operated a large ski season program to the Swiss airport from many UK airports for many years and that these routes have always proved popular.
Between 2013 and 2020, a total of 570,000 passengers flew with the airline between London Southend and Geneva, with 2019 (the last full year before the pandemic) representing the peak year with 94,000 passengers.
In February 2024, easyJet will launch services to another major ski destination with the French destination of Grenoble (GNB) being added to its list of services from Southend. These flights will operate just once weekly on Sundays from February 4, 2024, and the service will mark the first time the French airport has been served directly from Southend.