Flybe : London Southend Airport to boost Flybe summer flights next year by 80%

* London Southend Airport announces 80% increase in Flybe flights for summer 2018 schedule including return to popular Croatian hotspots - Dubrovnik and Zadar

* The capital's best airport has also added Antwerp to its growing list of destinations - operating 4 flights weekly from next June

* Stobart Air through its franchise partnership with Flybe will be adding a 5th aircraft at the airport

London -- London Southend Airport, rated the Capital's best airport five years in a row (1), is to boost the number of flights on Flybe routes by 80 per cent next summer.

The airport has published next year's summer schedule for Stobart Air/Flybe, boasting up to 230 flights a week. The schedule, which runs from 17 June 2018 to 9 September 2018, heralds the return of popular Croatian sun destinations, Dubrovnik and Zadar.

And today the airport is also announcing a new route to Antwerp, Belgium. The new Antwerp service, on a 70-seater ATR72-600 series aircraft, will be operated by Stobart Air through its franchise partnership with Flybe from next summer. It will fly four times per week: Monday, Wednesday, Friday & Sunday.

A total of 15 routes will be operated with extra seats to European cities such as Budapest, Cologne, Vienna and Prague and daily flights are also on offer to Prague. French destinations will include Rennes, Caen and Lyon and will have an additional 15,500 seats.

Stobart Air through its franchise partnership with Flybe has brought in an additional aircraft making a total of five based at the airport. The news comes just after easyJet announced that it will also be basing a fourth A320 aircraft at London Southend Airportfrom 25 July 2018.

Glyn Jones, Chief Executive Officer of Stobart Aviation, owners of London Southend Airport says: "We're hugely excited about what we're now offering passengers, almost doubling the number of flights next summer. Simply, there's more choice with a brand new route to Antwerp and the return of increasingly popular destinations in Croatia from next summer.

He adds: "There's a correlation showing travel demand is driven by airline capacity. We've added hundreds of extra flights and thousands of more seats for next year's peak summer season. But what is helping London Southend Airport go from strength to strength is our promise to deliver a better way to travel - more comfort, faster access, fewer queues and a friendlier experience than larger airports in the South East."