London Southend Airport is a small airport in Essex, east of London, with its own railway station 100 steps from the terminal and trains to Liverpool Street in about 52 minutes. Oyster and contactless do not work all the way, so you need a train ticket for the journey.
Southend is one of the smallest of London's six main airports and the furthest from the city centre. It sits on the edge of Southend-on-Sea, a seaside town on the Thames Estuary. Despite the distance, the journey can be simple: you walk out of the terminal, cross a covered walkway to the station and take a direct train to Stratford and Liverpool Street, on the edge of the City of London.
What makes Southend different is scale. Queues tend to be shorter, the terminal is easy to understand, and the airport says you can be out of the building quickly after landing. The drawbacks are fewer flights, one main airline, and a ticketing trap that catches visitors who expect to tap a bank card all the way. This guide covers the train, the ticket, the terminal and who the airport suits.
Southend Airport facts for travellers
- Location
- Southend-on-Sea, Essex, east of London
- Station
- Southend Airport, about 100 steps from the terminal
- To Liverpool Street
- About 52 minutes (Stratford about 43 minutes)
- Frequency
- Up to six trains an hour at peak times
- Oyster and contactless
- Not valid to the airport; the pay as you go area ends at Shenfield
- Main airline
- easyJet
- Terminal hours
- Opens 3 hours before the first departure; not open 24 hours
The train from Liverpool Street and Stratford
Southend Airport station was built for the airport and sits directly opposite the terminal, reached through a covered walkway. Trains run to London Liverpool Street, with Stratford on the way. The airport gives the journey time as 52 minutes to Liverpool Street and 43 minutes to Stratford, with up to six trains an hour at peak times. The trains are run by Greater Anglia.
Liverpool Street is on the eastern edge of the City of London, next to Shoreditch. From there you can take the Elizabeth line west to Tottenham Court Road, Bond Street and Paddington, or the Central, Circle, Hammersmith & City and Metropolitan lines. Our overview of London's main railway stations explains the layout of Liverpool Street and the other termini.
Stratford is often the better place to change. It has the Elizabeth line, the Central and Jubilee lines, the DLR and the Overground under one roof, and it is next to the Olympic Park and a large shopping centre. If you are staying in east London, our guide to Stratford shows what is close by.
The airport also points out connections with the Elizabeth line at Shenfield, Stratford and Liverpool Street. That line runs right across London to Paddington and on to Heathrow, which is useful if you have an onward flight. Our guide to the Elizabeth line explains how it works for visitors.
Buying the right ticket
This is where many visitors go wrong. TfL's pay as you go area, where you can tap in and out with a contactless card or an Oyster card, stops at Shenfield. Southend Airport is further out. The airport's own advice is that you need a valid ticket for the journey beyond Shenfield, so if you tap your card at Liverpool Street and ride to the airport, you will not have a valid fare.
Do not tap your bank card for a Southend Airport train. Oyster and contactless are not valid to or from the airport. Buy a ticket for the whole journey between London and Southend Airport before you board, from a ticket machine, a ticket office or online, and keep it until you leave the station.
At the airport, ticket machines stand in the arrivals area just before you leave the terminal, and there are more in the station. The airport is cashless, so machines in the terminal take cards and contactless only. At the station one machine still accepts cash, and the ticket office is staffed from 06:00 to 23:00 every day, including bank holidays. The machines are available 24 hours a day.
We could not confirm a current fare from an official source, so check the price for your date on National Rail Enquiries or with Greater Anglia before you travel. The general rules for British train tickets apply: Off-Peak tickets usually start from 09:30 on weekdays in and around cities, and weekends are generally off-peak. Our guide to buying UK train tickets explains Advance, Off-Peak and Anytime fares.
Railcards and children
Overseas visitors can buy some British railcards, including the Two Together Railcard and the 16-25 Railcard, online as a digital card. Most railcards cost £35 for a year and give a third off most fares. Whether it pays off depends on how much train travel you do, so compare the fares with and without a railcard first. Children aged 5 to 15 get 50% off Advance and Off-Peak fares on National Rail. Our page on Travelcards and railcard discounts explains which cards also work on Oyster.
Once you reach London
When you arrive at Liverpool Street or Stratford, you are back inside the pay as you go area. From that point you can tap in with contactless or Oyster as normal for the Tube, the Elizabeth line or buses. Use one card or device for all your TfL journeys that day so the daily cap works for you; our explainer on contactless, Oyster and daily caps has the details.
If you are heading to a hotel in the West End, the quickest route is usually the train to Liverpool Street and then the Elizabeth line. With a lot of luggage, it helps that every Elizabeth line station, including Liverpool Street and Stratford, is step-free. If you are still choosing an area, our guide to the best areas to stay in London compares the options, and a base in east London cuts the journey time from Southend.
The terminal: small, quick and not open all night
Southend's terminal is compact and easy to find your way around. The airport says that on a good day you can leave the terminal as little as 15 minutes after landing, but suggests allowing about half an hour. Coming from outside the UK, you still pass through UK border control, and most visitors now need an Electronic Travel Authorisation before they fly. Our page on UK entry requirements explains the ETA.
The terminal is not open 24 hours. According to the airport, it opens 3 hours before the first scheduled departure of the day. That matters if you were planning to arrive late the night before and wait inside for an early flight: you can't. The airport's hotel, described below, is the practical alternative.
The airport lists a lounge, a paid fast-track security lane, shops and places to eat, and Wi-Fi. For current security rules, especially on liquids, read the airport's security page before you pack, because the rules at different UK airports are not always the same.
Who flies from Southend
easyJet is the airline the airport lists as its flying partner. Destinations named on the airport's website include Amsterdam, Paris, Berlin, Geneva, Barcelona, Palma, Faro, Malta, Tenerife and Marrakech, plus UK routes to Edinburgh and Belfast. Some routes are seasonal, and the list changes, so check the airport's destinations page and the airline's timetable for your dates.
With one main airline, the choice is narrow. If your destination is on the list and the fare is good, Southend can be the easiest London airport to use. If not, compare flights from Stansted, the other Essex airport, or from Gatwick and Heathrow. Our comparison of which London airport is best weighs up distance, cost and convenience.
Staying overnight at the airport
The Holiday Inn Southend sits at the airport, and the airport describes it as having direct terminal access. It has a rooftop restaurant and bar with runway views, and it sells packages that combine a room with parking. For a dawn flight, sleeping next to the terminal is much simpler than catching one of the first trains from London.
Book directly with the hotel or through the airport's website, and check the cancellation terms. Our wider guide to staying overnight at London's airports compares the options at each airport.
Early departures and late arrivals by train
Trains do not run through the night. In a sample weekday search on TfL's Journey Planner in September 2026, the last train from the airport towards London left just before midnight and reached Liverpool Street at about 01:00. The first trains from Liverpool Street left at about 04:30 and reached the airport about an hour later. Times vary by day and are often different at weekends, so check the live timetable.
Engineering work sometimes replaces trains with buses, especially at weekends, and the airport's website carries a train disruption notice when there is a problem. If your flight lands late, look at the timetable before you book. Our guide to late-night and early-morning airport transport covers the other airports too.
Buses, taxis and connections from the Southend area
If you are travelling from the Southend area rather than London, the airport lists other routes. From Southend Central, which is served by c2c trains from Barking, you can walk about 10 minutes along the High Street to Southend Victoria and take a Greater Anglia train to the airport. Bus 9 also runs from outside the Southend Travel Centre to the airport roughly every 12 minutes, and the airport gives the adult single fare as £3.
Taxis take 6 to 12 minutes between the airport and Southend Central, according to the airport. For drivers, the airport's Express Pick-up and Drop-off area opposite the terminal costs £8 for up to 10 minutes, paid online by midnight on the following day.
Step-free access and assistance
The walkway between the terminal and the station is covered and designed for easy access, and the station has toilets and baby-changing facilities. The airport recommends booking assistance at the station 48 hours in advance. You can also book assistance for the flight itself through your airline.
In London, the pay as you go network has good step-free options at Stratford and Liverpool Street, but many Tube stations do not. Our guide to step-free travel in London explains how to plan a route without stairs.
Reasons to pick Southend
- Station right outside the terminal, with direct trains to Stratford and Liverpool Street
- Short queues and a small, simple terminal
- Hotel at the airport for early flights
Reasons to think again
- Oyster and contactless don't work on the train to the airport
- A narrow choice of airlines and routes
- No trains through the night, and the terminal closes overnight
- The furthest of the six airports from central London
For the other options, see our guide to London's airports.
Frequently asked questions
How long is the train from Southend Airport to London?
The airport says trains reach London Liverpool Street in about 52 minutes and Stratford in about 43 minutes, with up to six trains an hour at peak times. The station is about 100 steps from the terminal, so you can be on a train very soon after leaving arrivals.
Can I use Oyster or contactless to Southend Airport?
No. The Oyster and contactless area ends at Shenfield, so you need a train ticket for the journey to or from Southend Airport. Buy one from the machines in the arrivals area or the station, from the ticket office, or online before you travel.
Is Southend Airport really a London airport?
It is outside Greater London, in Essex, and it is the furthest of the six London airports from the centre. But the direct train to Stratford and Liverpool Street means the journey time is similar to some routes from the larger airports, especially if you are staying in east London.
Which airline flies from London Southend Airport?
easyJet is the airline the airport lists, flying to a range of European cities and holiday destinations and to some UK airports. Routes change with the seasons, so check the airport's destinations page and easyJet's timetable for your travel dates.
Can I sleep in Southend Airport before an early flight?
No. The airport says the terminal is not open 24 hours and opens 3 hours before the first departure. If you have an early flight, consider the Holiday Inn at the airport, or check the first trains from Liverpool Street for your date.
Sources
- London Southend Airport - Getting to and from (checked September 2026)
- London Southend Airport - By Tube and train (checked September 2026)
- London Southend Airport - Our airline partners (checked September 2026)
- London Southend Airport - Holiday Inn Southend (checked September 2026)
- National Rail - Advance tickets (checked September 2026)
- Two Together Railcard - Can visitors to Britain buy the railcard? (checked September 2026)
- Transport for London - Journey Planner (sample early and late journeys) (checked September 2026)