Helpful airport transfer information from Airports Taxi UK, with private booking support for journeys across the UK.
Southend Airport is the other one Chelmsford people tend to overlook — about 18 miles down the A130, and one of the quicker regional airports to reach from anywhere in the city. It’s smaller than Stansted, which for a lot of routes actually means faster check-in and less walking once you’re there.
30–40 minutes in normal conditions, straight down the A130. It’s a simpler road than the Stansted run in some ways — fewer motorway sections, which means less variability if there’s an accident somewhere on the M11 or M25 that day.
| Pickup area | Distance | Drive time |
|---|---|---|
| Chelmsford city centre | 18 miles | 30–40 min |
| Great Baddow | 16 miles | 25–35 min |
| Galleywood | 19 miles | 30–40 min |
| Springfield | 19 miles | 30–40 min |
There is a train option — Chelmsford to Southend Airport station via a change, roughly an hour door to door once you add the walk and wait times. For a solo traveller with hand luggage it’s fine. For anyone with a suitcase, a family, or a flight before the trains are running properly, the 30-minute drive tends to just be the easier call.
It’s a smaller airport, which usually means a quicker walk from drop-off to check-in and through security — worth knowing if you’re not a fan of the bigger airport shuffle. Which airport actually makes sense depends entirely on where your airline flies from, but if you’ve got the choice and want the calmer experience, Southend’s worth considering.
Being one of the shortest runs from Chelmsford, this route sits at the lower end of our fares. A standard saloon covers most trips; go for an estate or MPV if you’ve got extra luggage or a family travelling together. Fixed at booking, so the price doesn’t move regardless of traffic.
Southend runs a mix of times through the day. For early departures, a 30-40 minute drive from Chelmsford means you’re not up at some ridiculous hour just for the journey — book the pickup for roughly 2.5 hours before a short-haul flight and you’ve got a comfortable margin.
Both are similar distances — it really comes down to which airport your flight departs from. Southend tends to be quicker to move through once you’re there.
Yes, with a change, around an hour door to door. Fine for light luggage; a taxi is usually simpler for families or early flights.
Yes, both are within our standard Chelmsford coverage area.
Fixed price, around 30-40 minutes, straight down the A130. See our Chelmsford taxi page for local city journeys too.
