London City Airport year could be absorbed by other airports which are currently under capacity. However, this plan was proposed when London City Airport was for sale. In February 2016 the airport was bought by a Canadian-led consortium, making redevelopment less likely. Additionally, the political weight behind air space in the south east would make it less likely still, with the government having approved the controversial expansion of Heathrow Airport, including the third runway. Owing to its proximity to London's Docklands and financial district its main users are business travellers, but the number of leisure destinations served (like Palma de Mallorca, Malaga or
London Southend Airport aircraft based at Southend to four. In February 2018, Air Malta announced that it would begin flights to Cagliari, Catania and Malta. In March 2018, it was announced that Loganair would begin operations from the airport to Carlisle Lake District Airport. In June 2018, Ryanair announced that it would open a base at Southend, basing three aircraft there operating 55 flights per week to 13 destinations. The following airlines operate regular scheduled and charter flights at London Southend Airport: Routes accounting for more than 2.5% of passenger traffic, or 27,397 passengers, are shown below: Since 2011, the airport has its