There are not enough flights or passengers

• London Southend Airport suggests airlines use its spare capacity.

• The airport to the east of the capital operates only a few flights a day.

• Heathrow, the UK’s largest airport, is handling 100,000 passengers a day due to continued pressure.

A small airport east of London wants airlines struggling to keep up with larger but more crowded rivals to start using the service for some flights, Sky News reports.

Southend Airport has seen airlines in the UK as well as the US struggle with staff shortages and cancel thousands of flights.

Heathrow, the UK’s busiest airport, has appealed to airlines to cut capacity this winter and reduce disruption.

But Southend has the opposite problem: when an outbreak occurs, there aren’t enough flights or passengers after airlines cut routes. It operates only one or two flights per day.

Southend boss Glyn Jones told Sky News: “It’s too late for people, so we can play a small role in it, to be honest, but if it’s your flight that’s affected, a small role is an important role.”

The airport had over 2 million passengers and 40 routes in 2019, but currently only operates four routes.

EasyJet continues to operate at Southend using the Airbus A320 with twice weekly flights to Palma and Faro with four flights to Malaga six times weekly.

Heathrow caps its flight of 100,000 passengers a day amid mounting travel disruptions, including lost luggage, delays and cancellations.

Southend is the smallest and newest airport serving London, although light aircraft have been using it since 1935. Gatwick, south of the capital, holds the title of busiest single-runway airport in the world.

In addition, Stansted and Luton Airports to the north of the city, as well as the City of London in the Docklands serve short-haul domestic and European routes.

Southend has its own train station with services terminating at London Liverpool Street Station via Stratford.

Luton, however, requires commuters to catch a shuttle bus from the nearest train station, but a monorail is in the works.

Read the original article on Business Insider