SOUTHEND Airport is set to welcome the “worst” airline in the country.

Ryanair has been named the worst airline serving UK airports for the sixth year in a row.

An annual survey by consumer organisation Which? found passengers gave the Dublin-based carrier the lowest possible rating for boarding, seat comfort, refreshments and cabin environment.

Ryanair is set to launch a £225million centre at Southend Airport in April.

The firm announced it will operate 13 routes to eight countries from the Essex airport, including Barcelona, Corfu, Milan and Venice.

There will be more than 55 flights a week carrying an estimated one million passengers each year.

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Three aircraft will be based at Southend, creating 750 on-site jobs at its 14th base.

The Which? survey recorded 12,459 flying experiences from its 7,901 members.

In December the Civil Aviation Authority launched enforcement action against Ryanair over its decision not to pay compensation for flight disruption resulting from industrial action by its staff during summer 2018.

A Ryanair spokeswoman said the research did not take into account the cost of fares - which is “the single most important factor for UK consumers” - and described it as “totally unrepresentative” compared with its 141 million annual passengers.

She added that the airline’s average fare of £35 is “a fraction of the high fares charged by Which?’s ‘recommended’ airlines”.

Rory Boland, editor of Which? Travel magazine, said: “Airfares might seem to be getting cheaper, but only if you don’t fancy sitting with your family and children or taking even a small cabin bag on-board.

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“Increasingly you need a calculator to work out what the final bill will be, especially with Ryanair. It has spent the last two years cancelling thousands of flights, ruining hundreds of thousands of holidays and flouting the rules on compensation as well.”

When Ryanair announced it would be coming to Southend commercial officer David O’Brien said: “Ryanair guests can now enjoy low fares on a choice of 13 routes through London Southend’s exceptionally passenger-friendly terminal.” The runway at Southend Airport is currently being resurfaced.