Travellers in Essex, East London and East Anglia are getting another option for Greek summer sun. easyJet has confirmed it will station a fourth Airbus A320neo at London Southend Airport from next summer, and the first new route riding on that extra capacity is Rhodes — a notable gap in the airport's network until now.
The Rhodes service kicks off on 27 April and runs twice weekly, on Tuesdays and Saturdays. That kind of schedule suits a straightforward week in the sun or a slightly longer break, and it gives passengers across the region a way to skip the bigger London hubs entirely. Rhodes itself hardly needs selling: a medieval Old Town recognised by UNESCO, long stretches of beach, reliable Mediterranean heat and the kind of taverna culture people plan return trips around.
The aircraft news is arguably the bigger story for the airport. Each UK-based aircraft, easyJet says, supports roughly 400 direct and indirect jobs and contributes around £27 million in gross value added to the UK economy. London Southend's CEO Jude Winstanley described the move as a vote of confidence, noting that the airport expects to pass one million passengers in 2027 and to employ more than 400 people directly next year.
Winstanley also let slip that more announcements could follow: Greece was described as an obvious gap that local customers and travel agents had flagged, and the fourth aircraft is expected to unlock further destinations for Summer 2027. easyJet UK Country Manager Kevin Doyle framed the expansion as part of a steady build-up of routes and package holidays since the airline opened its Southend base.
Why does this matter if you don't live in Essex? Southend has quietly positioned itself as the low-hassle alternative for people east of London — short walks from door to gate, quicker security and fewer of the crowds you'd brace for at the bigger airports. If Rhodes or whatever comes next fits your summer, the twice-weekly rhythm makes a self-drive, package or fly-and-flop trip simple to plan. And for anyone booking flights from the airport already, more based aircraft usually means more route choice and more competitive fares over time.
The route starts in late April, so beach season on Rhodes — where the sea is warm from May well into October — lines up neatly with the first departures. Worth keeping an eye on what easyJet reveals for Summer 2027, because the airport's leadership is clearly promising this isn't the last of it.
