Southend airport expects to handle two million passengers by 2015 – five years earlier than originally planned.
Passenger numbers were 970,000 in 2013 and are predicted to rise to 1.3 million this year.
A £10 million extension to the airport terminal was formally opened yesterday (Monday) by transport secretary Patrick McLoughlin.
The extension marks the end of a £120 million revamp by the Stobart Group, which bought the airport in 2008.
Its original target was to get two million passengers passing through by 2020.
A bigger departure lounge, more check-in desks, revamped baggage reclaim facilities, a new arrivals area and five more aircraft stands have been built.
McLoughlin said: “The growth the airport is seeing is fantastic news for the regional economy and passengers alike. This new terminal extension means better facilities for travellers and a boost for the UK’s transport infrastructure.”
The official opening of the terminal follows Flybe confirming six new European routes to be launched under a franchise deal with Stobart Air this summer which are expected to provide 700,000 additional passengers within three years.