A FORMER cabin manager for easyJet has spoken of his “disgust” after learning the airline plans to open two new bases despite pulling out of Southend Airport last summer.

easyJet is to open two seasonal bases, in Faro and Malaga, next spring, with three planes at each airport. The company says it has to look for opportunities, despite the challenges.

The 37-year-old, who wanted to remain anonymous, says the news has come as a huge “kick in the teeth”.

He said: “The way we have been treated from start to finish has just been horrendous. It’s disgusting.

“I can’t tell you how heartbroken we all are. To find this out has just brought it all up again and is just a real kick in the teeth.

“With the climate the way it is, everyone is struggling to find other jobs. What do you do when you have 400 to 500 people all hunting for a similar job?”

The cabin manager of more than seven years, claims that during a consultation - as the airline was deciding whether to pull out from Southend Airport in July - staff “begged” for Southend to be a seasonal base to try and save jobs.

But heartbroken crews say they were told there was nothing that could be done and that there “weren’t enough planes”, although airline bosses strongly deny this.

He said: “We were under the impression that they were going to sell or lease the planes back and then we found out that they’ve opened new bases in Malaga and Faro with three planes each.”

A spokesman for easyJet said: “The aviation industry has been one of the hardest hit by the pandemic and so we had to take the very difficult decision to close our Southend base due to the unprecedented impact it has and continues to have. This decision was in no way a reflection on our people at Southend or the commitment and effort they made to deliver great service for our customers.

“Even in the challenging environment we have to continue to look for opportunities which enable us to best cater for customer demand and these seasonal bases, allow us to do that.”