PASSENGERS flying to Southend received a welcome surprise last week as they joined in celebrations to mark the first anniversary of Flybe’s northern European routes.

The lucky passengers were treated to champagne and birthday cake at Rennes, Groningen and Munster Osnabruck airports.

The airline began flying from Southend Airport to these destinations in June last year and also celebrated the 100,000th passenger on their route to Caen Normandie, which will celebrate its first anniversary next month.

Southend Airport’s interim managing director John Horne said: “We have been delighted to welcome so many new passengers over the past year, and we look forward to showing even more the benefits ‘simply easier’ Southend Airport has to offer in the future.

“We believe our unique customer service commitments and up to eight trains per hour into the heart of London in just 53-minutes, only 15-minutes from exiting your plane to being on the train are reasons why customers keep returning to London Southend.” Since their introduction the Flybe routes have been a hit with tourist and business customers alike.

Flybe’s planes are operated by Stobart Air and their chief commercial officer, Martin Saxton, said the proximity of Southend to London is a key attraction to European travellers.

He said: “For the five million people living within an hour of Southend Airport, these routes offer them direct access to some of Europe’s most charming cultural destinations.

“For our European passengers, this is the first direct connection to London so it links a whole new audience to one of the world’s most important cities, whether for business or pleasure.”

All the destinations can offer a wealth of cultural, historical, scenic and gastronomic diversity, for the people of Southend and the south East to discover.

Tickets for all these routes for winter 2015, up to 27 Feb 2016, have just gone on sale at www.flybe.com with prices starting from £34.99 (one person, one way).