One million passengers travelled through London Southend in 2017, a record for the airport following huge growth over the past 12 months.

London Southend saw passenger numbers jump 25 per cent year-on-year, with 1,095,914 people using the airport between January and December 2017.

The airport currently offers the option of flights to more than 30 domestic and European leisure and business destinations via Stobart Air’s franchise deal with Flybe and easyJet.

The most popular destinations in 2017 included Rennes in France and Amsterdam.

Top predictions for summer 2018 include Croatia (with London Southend offering routes to Dubrovnik, Zadar and Pula), Czech Republic capital Prague and Malta.

Glyn Jones, chief executive of Stobart Aviation, owners of London Southend Airport, said “Reaching over one million passengers is an important moment for us.

“Last year saw us make important additions to the retail offering in the terminal as well as adding a significant number of new routes – with more still to come – some providing a time and cost-effective way for our passengers to connect to North America and Canada.”