A very early start this morning to photograph the Jet2 737 heading for Cologne and Craivo and the first flight to Istanbul operated by Germania. Both of these are weekly private charter flights for Ford Motor Company, departing early on a Monday morning and returning on a Friday evening.
Here’s the two aircraft in question parked outside the new terminal! Quite a sight! It has been very many years since Southend has had 2 twinjet passenger flights next to each other like this!
G-CELJ and D-ASTB Preparing For Ford Charters at Southend EGMC by AeroPics, on Flickr
10 minutes later the Jet2 737 was airborne, using very little of the runway. Why was an extension built again?
G-CELJ Jet2 B733 at Southend EGMC by AeroPics, on Flickr
A bit of an anticlimax now, as some thick cloud and fog moved in in the 30 minutes between the 2 departures. I belive this may be the first Airbus passenger flight departure ever to have occured from Southend. Istanbul is a long flight as well, 1900 miles. Yet the Germania A319 was up quickly, not even needing all of the old part of the runway!
D-ASTB Germania A319 at Southend EGMC by AeroPics, on Flickr
I hope these are of interest, it is really great to see some ‘heavy’ passenger flight traffic from Southend, only 3 weeks from the inagural easyJet flights!
By: 8674planes - 13th March 2012 at 16:43
Wonder if that’s why they built extra parking stands to the left of the Terminal gates I think they have 5 to 10 gates being built at current.
By: AeroPics - 12th March 2012 at 21:20
Nice pictures.
Not quite as glamorous as the days when Ford had their own fleet, but a welcome boost for Southend I am sure.
Certainly. I suppose chartering flights in are meant to part of an economy drive over owing aircraft, however with all the positioning flights which are involved for these flights, it most still be very expensive for Ford!
8674planes: Have to wait until Monday 14th May when there will be 6 passenger flight departures between 6:30 am. There will not be enough stands outside the new terminal!!
It is fantastic to see the rebirth of Southend and an upturn in traffic.
By: 8674planes - 12th March 2012 at 19:42
It will be good in 3 weeks a picture of The Jet 2 737,Germania A319,Easyjet A319 and the Aer arran AtR 42/72 all lined up together on the parking stands.
can’t wait for the commerical traffic!!!
By: HP81 - 12th March 2012 at 18:18
Nice pictures.
Not quite as glamorous as the days when Ford had their own fleet, but a welcome boost for Southend I am sure.
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March 12, 2012 at 5:46 pm