SOUTHAMPTON Airport has been rated the best airport in the UK for security queue times by consumer experts Which? finishing above Southend and Exeter airports in second and third respectively.

The consumer publication asked more than 4,000 passengers to provide an estimate of how long they were kept waiting while going through security on their most recent visit to the airport.

In its full survey published last month, Southampton Airport also came out as the third best small airport in the UK overall for its customer service and facilities.

Southampton Airport regularly rates as the number one airport in the UK for overall satisfaction by passengers in the Airports Council International (ACI) Airport Service Quality Survey (ASQ).

In March 2019, it was named the ACI ASQ Best Airport in Europe, between two and five million passengers.

Southampton Airport's Managing Director Neil Garwood said: “This is really excellent news for Southampton and clearly shows the benefits of smaller airports."

"Having been recognised as the best small airport in Europe for customer service by the ACI awarding body and have been rated so highly for best airport overall by Which? we are truly proud to say our customer experience and journey time through security is second to none."

Neil Garwood added: "We aim to preserve this reputation into the future as we fulfil our growth plans, which will enable us to provide this excellent service to even more passengers without losing the friendly quality that makes us so special."

A "master plan document" called "A Vision for Sustainable Growth" has recently been published detailing the vision and growth path for the airport over the next twenty years.