So how much is Southend Airport Worth8 Dec 2023 08:58
To answer that question we need to look at the likely value of LSA in 2020. Carlyle took the option of a 30% equity stake as the value of their £125m loan and they probably thought that was a discounted price on the actual value. Even taken at face value that gave a value of £400m for the airport at that time, although true value was perhaps over £450m. Passenger growth for 2019 was up 43% at 2.1m passengers and 2020 looked good - then along came Covid. This shows that LSA is a viable airport given the right circumstances, these including slot scarcity at the other LON airports. That situation is starting to reappear and should give the airport more opportunities for renewed growth. Just this week easyJet have increased their 2024 Palma flights to 8 per week and, although they have no aircraft based at LSA, they are operating W sectors whereby, for example, an Amsterdam based aircraft will operate AMS-SEN-ALC-SEN-AMS. To me this shows that easyJet are serious about LSA and it's quite feasible that they could re-open their LSA base in 2025 with up to four aircraft which could generate a 1m passenger throughput per annum. Add to that a couple of other airlines operating out of LSA and the numbers would soon start to look quite good. That's the way I would be trying to sell LSA and if there happen to be two or more seriously interested parties, to create a bit of up-bidding, the sale price might be more than some on here think. These are of course just my opinions but are based on a lifetime in commercial aviation. I have no connection now with LSA or Esken apart from still having access to various information grapevines relative to the former.