Situated just outside of London in the popular commuter belt of Essex, London Stansted Airport has submitted an expansion plan that could increase passenger capacity to over 50 million over the next 20 years.
If approved, the airport could see up to 51 million passengers pass through its terminal, making it the UK’s second busiest airport. In 2024 the airport welcomed a record-breaking 29.8 million passengers, while Manchester welcomed 30.8 million and London Gatwick welcomed 43.2 million passengers. The UK’s primary gateway, London Heathrow handled just shy of 84 million passengers last year.
Stansted’s application aims to make best use of Stansted’s existing single runway (which was resurfaced in 2023) by the 2040s without any increase in the number of flights the airport is currently permitted to operate within the existing airport boundary.
Gareth Powell, London Stansted’s Managing Director, said plans to grow the airport in the most sustainable and responsible way have been helped by “listening carefully to feedback from neighbours.”
More than 2,800 people responded to a consultation about the airport’s plans with almost 2,000 backing Stansted’s expansion plans.
He also noted that the airport has already kicked off a five-year GBP1.2 billion investment programme. “If this latest application is approved, we will be able to unlock even more local opportunities and improvements over the next 20 years,” he said.
Socio-economic growth for the region
Socio-economic growth for the regionAccording to Stansted, which alongside Manchester and East Midlands is owned and operated by Manchester Airport Group (MAG), its plans to invest in the future will unlock 4,500 new jobs. It will also pave the way for improvements to local road infrastructure including the M11, funds for local public transport services and parking. It will also enable the airport’s infrastructure to be powered by 100 per cent renewable energy and will see Stansted Airport College double in size.
“Making the best use of our existing runway will help create more jobs and training schemes, better facilities for passengers and provide more seats to an even greater choice of destinations,” added Powell.
“We have an exciting and ambitious vision for London Stansted and how we best serve our region, so I’m asking for local people to lend their support so we can make this plan a reality.”
Traffic on the rise
The airport’s plans for expansion are aligned with the growth in passenger traffic and aircraft movements the airport is currently experiencing. It welcomed a record-breaking 2.5 million passengers in April this year, an increase of 2.2 per cent on April 2024. Overall the airport welcomed 1. 5 million passengers during the two-week Easter break, recording its busiest day of the year so far with more than 94,000 passengers taking to the skies on Good Friday. April also saw the launch of a host of new services including Ryanair to Lubeck in Germany and Linz in Austria, Air Algerie to Algiers and Transavia to Rotterdam in the Netherlands.
