Is London Southend Airport open today? Are flights still cancelled after small plane crashes - latest advice for passengers
London Southend Airport issued an update late last night (Sunday 13 July) after a plane crashed at the airport.
The airport said yesterday that all flights to and from the airport have been cancelled while police, emergency services and air accident investigators are attending the incident. It added: “We ask that any passengers due to travel tomorrow (Monday, July 14) via London Southend Airport contact their airline for information and advice.
“Our thoughts are with those affected by today’s events and all passengers impacted by this disruption. We will restart flight operations as soon as possible and will continue to update the public on developments.”
FlightRadar currently shows all arrival flights as cancelled and some as just being scheduled. However, for departing flights it shows flights cancelled this morning and operating again this afternoon. Passengers are advised to check the airport’s website and enquire with their airline regarding the status of their flight.
The plane crashed shortly after takeoff on Sunday afternoon. The aircraft was reportedly a small Beech B200 aircraft, scheduled to fly to Lelystad in the Netherlands.
John Johnson, who was at Southend Airport with his family at the time of the crash, said he saw a “big fireball” after the plane “crashed head first into the ground”. Mr Johnson, from Billericay, told the PA news agency: “We all waved at the pilots, and they all waved back at us.
“The aircraft then turned 180 degrees to face its take-off, departure, powered up, rolled down the runway. It took off and about three or four seconds after taking off, it started to bank heavily to its left, and then within a few seconds of that happening, it more or less inverted and crashed just head first into the ground."