The deal starts on August 14 with flights available on the new routes which launch on October 29 and will be operated by Stobart Air.

To qualify for the tickets, passengers must have suffered a delay of 30 mintues or more to the destinations when travelling from Heathrow or Gatwick

The offer was made by the airport which claims that CAA figures show in the first five months of 2017, more than 11 million passengers were delayed at the two larger airports

Glyn Jones, chief executive of Stobart Aviation, which owns London Southend Airport, said: “Heathrow and Gatwick keep celebrating rising passenger numbers but what is good for their bottom line, makes for a bad travel experience for tens of thousands of passengers every day.

“We have been rated best airport in the UK three years in a row by Which? and it is our core customer promise that we provide a better, quicker, more pleasurable way to travel compared to the stressful and overwhelmed larger airports.

“An increasing number of people are discovering the benefits of London Southend Airport and are enjoying our calm, friendly and easy terminal; we look forward to welcoming many more.”