Southend Airport says Si to luxury breaks... (From Southend Standard)

Southend Airport says Si to luxury breaks...

3:00pm Thursday 16th August 2012 in Southend By Stephen Hackwell

LUXURY trips to the Mediterranean are the latest package holidays to become available from Southend Airport .

The Echo can reveal Citalia, which specialises in breaks to top-notch Italian resorts, plans to offer all-inclusive deals to Venice next year.

The company has already lined up stays at dozens of different hotels and will block-book seats on easyJet’s inaugural flights to the city to get tourists there.

Southend Airport has undergone a £100million transformation since Stobart Group snapped it up for £21million in December 2008.

Aer Arann, now operating under the Aer Lingus Regional banner, began flights to Waterford, Ireland, in March 2011 and has since added thrice-daily services to Dublin.

In April 2012, easyJet started flights to nine overseas destinations and will add flights to Venice in February as demand for the airport soars.

Earlier this month, the Echo revealed TUI Travel, one of the biggest package holidays companies in the world, had struck an agreement to start flights to sun-drenched Majorcan capital, Palma, from next summer.

The deal marks the first time package holidays will be available from Southend since its Sixties heyday.

However, the firm, which includes the famous Thomson and First Choice brands, will charter its own aircraft rather than relying on easyJet’s services.

The budget airline’s flights to Venice, which cost as little as £22.99 for a one-way trip, are already available to book.

However, a spokeswoman for easyJet said there was no agreement currently in place with Citalia.

Package holiday firms which want to utilise scheduled flights usually sign a corporate contract or agree a block-booking with the airline first.