Tourists will soon still be able to explore the natural beauty of the Lake District with ease as Southend Airport has announced they are now offering flights to an airport in the north west of the country.

As of today, passengers will be able to buy tickets to fly to Carlisle Lake District Airport (CLDA) which has announced its new airline partner as Loganair, Scotland’s national airline.

The flights will commence on June 4 when the CLDA plans to launch commercial and business passenger flights for the first time since 1993.

Kate Willard, head of corporate projects at Stobart Group which owns both Southend and Carlisle Lake District Airports, said: “Stobart Group is committed to delivering a brilliant air travel experience across the UK and Ireland.

“We are therefore delighted to be announcing flights with Loganair connecting London Southend, Belfast and Dublin with Carlisle and the Lake District.

“There is huge demand from London, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland to visit Carlisle, which is home to major businesses and serves as a gateway to the Lake District, two UNSCO World Heritage Sites and South Scotland.”

The news comes as Stobart announced they will be investing £40million in Southend Airport over the next three years.

Glyn Jones, Chief Executive Officer of Stobart Aviation, said: “Southend Airport is investing up to £40 million over the next three years in order to support its plans to welcome 5 million passengers from 2022.

“We believe there is a fantastic opportunity for the airport to help solve London’s capacity crisis and improve passengers’ experience.

“This money will be used to increase awareness that Southend is quick to get to, hassle free, and offers flights to a large number of exciting destinations.

“We will also be using the money to develop more routes and attract more airlines to Southend.

“This significant investment will help us make the airport even more popular, which in turn should bring even better infrastructure and more job opportunities to the Southend area.

“It will also provide people with a fantastic airport on their doorstep, offering lots of exciting destinations to travel to.”

The airport enjoyed a 25 per cent increase on passengers in 2017 and Glyn Jones has said he believes the airport could welcome 10 million in the future.

The company has confirmed that £10million will be spent this year as the airport’s ambitious expansion is set to get under way.

In January, Rochford District Council approved plans to expand the terminal, which should facilitate further growth.

The multi-million-pound project has two elements including an extension to the southern end of the terminal building housing new baggage sorting and screening systems.

In addition, it features an extension to the northern end of the terminal improving baggage reclaim facilities.

The existing arrivals baggage area will be replaced with a new spacious area offering vastly improved and more flexible reclaim facilities for customers arriving at London Southend Airport.

Stobart, which also has a rail division, has said that funds will be directed to support growth at Southend and Carlisle Lake District Airports, including improving Southend Airport’s car park by June this year.

Stobart said the sale of the airport’s hotel, alongside two other properties and its stake in the Port Talbot biomass plant in Wales would help raise £27million.

Fares from Carlisle to Southend start at £44.99 one-way including all taxes and charges.