So Air Malta will now add Southend to its UK flight schedule. Why not Stansted and Luton, thereby covering the whole of the south of England?
Forget the north, forget Leeds Bradford, Doncaster Robin Hood, East Midlands, Liverpool and Manchester (Manchester direct and not via Munich). Leave these north of England destinations to airlines that are profitable - Jet2, Ryanair and EasyJet.
Incidentally, East Midlands airport has one of the largest catchment areas in the whole of the UK, taking in several large cities.