London Stansted Airport

"Stansted" redirects here. For other uses, see Stansted (disambiguation).
London Stansted Airport
IATA: STN – ICAO: EGSS
Summary
Airport type Public
Owner Manchester Airports Group
Operator Stansted Airport Limited
Serves London, United Kingdom
Location Stansted Mountfitchet, Essex
Hub for Ryanair
Elevation AMSL 348 ft / 106 m
Coordinates 51°53′06″N 000°14′06″E / 51.88500°N 0.23500°E / 51.88500; 0.23500Coordinates: 51°53′06″N 000°14′06″E / 51.88500°N 0.23500°E / 51.88500; 0.23500
Website stanstedairport.com
Map
EGSS

Location in Essex

Runways
Direction Length Surface
m ft
04/22 3,049 10,003 Grooved Asphalt
Statistics (2014)
Passengers 19,941,593
Passenger change 13–14 Increase11.7%
Aircraft movements 157,117
Movements change 13–14 Increase7.4%
Sources: UK AIP at NATS[1]
Statistics from the UK Civil Aviation Authority[2]

London Stansted Airport (IATA: STN, ICAO: EGSS) is an international airport located at Stansted Mountfitchet in the local government district of Uttlesford in Essex, 48 km (30 mi) northeast of Central London and 1.5 km (0.93 mi) from the Hertfordshire border.

Stansted is a base for a number of major European low-cost carriers, being the largest base for low-cost airline Ryanair with over 100 destinations served by the airline. In 2014 it was the fourth busiest airport in the United Kingdom after Heathrow, Gatwick and Manchester. Stansted's runway is also used by private companies such as the Harrods Aviation terminal which is opposite the main terminal building and handles private jets and some state visits.

The airport is owned and operated by the Manchester Airports Group (MAG), which also owns and operates three other UK airports. MAG agreed to buy the airport from Heathrow Airport Holdings, formerly BAA, on 18 January 2013,[3] and the sale was completed for £1.5 billion on 28 February 2013.[4] BAA had been required to sell the airport following a ruling originally made by the Competition Commission in March 2009.

Overview

Stansted Airport has one main passenger terminal, near the village of Stansted Mountfitchet. There are three passenger satellites in which the departure gates are situated, one is connected to the main terminal by an air-bridge and the other two by the Stansted Airport Transit System people mover.

The terminal building was designed by Foster Associates with input from the structural engineer Peter Rice and features a "floating" roof, supported by a space frame of inverted-pyramid roof trusses, creating the impression of a stylised swan in flight. The base of each truss structure is a "utility pillar", which provides indirect uplighting illumination and is the location for air-conditioning, water, telecommunications and electrical outlets. The layout of the airport was designed to provide an unobstructed flow for passengers to arrive at the short-stay car park, move through the check-in hall, go through security and on to the departure gates all on the same level.

From 1997 to 2007 Stansted saw rapid expansion of passenger numbers on the back of the boom in low cost air travel, peaking at 24 million passengers in the 12 months to October 2007, but passenger numbers declined for the subsequent five years to 2012. Passenger totals have since risen and in 2014 recorded an annual increase of 11.7% to 19.9 million.[2]

History

Second World War

Where Stansted Airport is now, as about 1935
Unidentified B-26 Marauder of the 344th Bomb Group at Stansted, 1944.

The airfield opened in 1943 and was used during the Second World War as RAF Stansted Mountfitchet by the Royal Air Force and the United States Army Air Forces as a bomber airfield and as a major maintenance depot. Although the official name was Stansted Mountfitchet, the base was known as simply Stansted in both written and spoken form.

The station was first allocated to the USAAF Eighth Air Force in August 1942 as a heavy bomber airfield. As well as an operational bomber base, Stansted was also a ATSC maintenance and supply depot concerned with major overhauls and modification of B-26s. After D-Day these activities were transferred to France, but the base was still used as a supply storage area for the support of aircraft on the continent.

Post-war use

After the withdrawal of the Americans on 12 August 1945, Stansted was taken over by the Air Ministry and used by No. 263 Maintenance Unit, RAF for storage purposes. In addition, between March 1946 and August 1947, Stansted was used for housing German prisoners of war.[5]

Avro York of the based Air Charter Ltd taking off on a trooping flight in 1955 with wartime hangars in the background

In November 1946, the recently established British cargo airline, London Aero and Motor Services (LAMS), equipped with ex-RAF Handley Page Halifaxes, moved into Stansted, using it as a base for its operations, until it was wound up in July 1948.[6]

The Ministry of Civil Aviation finally took control of Stansted in 1949 and the airport was then used as a base by several UK charter airlines. The US military returned in 1954 to extend the runway for a possible transfer to NATO. The transfer to NATO was never realised, however, and the airport continued in civil use, ending up under BAA control in 1966.

During the 1960s, 1970s and early 1980s the Fire Service Training School (FSTS) was based on the eastern side of the airfield under the auspices of the Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation, now the Civil Aviation Authority. The school was responsible for the training of all aviation fire crews for British airfields as well as those of many overseas countries.

Commercial operations

Beginning in 1966, after Stansted was placed under BAA control, the airport was used by holiday charter operators wishing to escape the higher costs associated with operating from Heathrow and Gatwick.

In 1968–71 the Commission for the Third London Airport (the "Roskill Commission") did not include Stansted as one of its four short-listed sites and recommended that Cublington in Buckinghamshire should be developed as London's third airport.[7]

From the outset, however, BAA and the British government planned to develop Stansted into London's third airport, to relieve Heathrow and Gatwick of excess congestion in the future. The airport's first terminal building opened in 1969 and was expanded the next year to handle the growing number of passengers.

Since 1984 the airport's capacity had been limited to a maximum throughput of 25 million passengers per annum (25 mppa) in accordance with recommendations made by the 1984 public inquiry and confirmed by the government of the day.

In 1984, the government approved a plan to develop Stansted in two phases, involving both airfield and terminal improvements that would increase the airport's capacity to 15 million passengers per year. The current terminal building was designed by the internationally acclaimed architect Norman Foster. Construction was undertaken by John Laing and took place between 1988 and March 1991.[8] At the time it was the most modern airport complex in the world and cost £100 million.[9] In 1990 it was awarded the European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture / Mies van der Rohe Award.

Long-haul scheduled services commenced in the early 1990s when American Airlines operated a transatlantic service between Stansted and Chicago, however the route was unprofitable and was withdrawn in 1993.[10] Continental Airlines also operated services in the late 1990s from Newark, but this service was stopped shortly after the 11 September 2001 attacks.

Long-haul services to the USA returned in late 2005, when Eos Airlines and MAXjet Airways commenced all-business-class services from Stansted to New York-JFK Airport. In 2006, MAXjet expanded their service with flights to Washington, D.C., Las Vegas and Los Angeles. American Airlines began daily flights to Stansted in October 2007 from New York-JFK and was originally expected to operate a second daily flight from April 2008. However, all three services to the USA have since been discontinued following the demise of MAXjet Airways in December 2007 and Eos Airlines in April 2008. Finally, in July 2008 American Airlines withdrew from the airport.

Latest developments

The Terminal building at night

Long haul transatlantic operations made a return to Stansted in June 2010, when Sun Country Airlines announced a seasonal weekly service from Stansted to Minneapolis. The flights made a re-fuelling stop-over in Gander, Newfoundland and Labrador as the aircraft used for the flight, a Boeing 737-800, would not be able to complete a non-stop westbound flight from Stansted to Minneapolis. The flights operated from 11 June to 15 August 2010. In 2011, Sun Country operated to Gatwick rather than Stansted and were then discontinued due to the price involved in carrying fuel on long haul flights.

Stansted also had scheduled and charter flights to Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver, but these flights to Canada have now ceased. Long-haul services to Asia commenced in March 2009 with Malaysian low-cost airline AirAsia X providing direct flights to Kuala Lumpur; however, since 24 October 2011, these flights have operated from Gatwick Airport instead.

The Arrivals hall in the Terminal building, which was extended in 2008.

A major expansion programme to the existing terminal took place between 2007 and 2009, adding nearly 5,900 m2 (64,000 sq ft) of floorspace to give space for additional baggage carousels, a new immigration and passport control hall and a hypostyle arrivals hall with improved facilities.

In November 2006 Uttlesford District Council rejected a BAA planning application to increase the permitted number of aircraft movements and to remove the limit on passenger numbers. BAA immediately appealed against the decision and a public inquiry opened lasting from May until October 2007. Planning Inspector Alan Boyland made his recommendations in January 2008. Those recommendations were largely followed by the Secretary of State for Transport (Geoff Hoon) and the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (Hazel Blears), who jointly allowed the applicant's appeal in October 2008. A series of legal challenges by community campaign group Stop Stansted Expansion (SSE) were rejected by the High Court during 2009.

In 2008 57 people were arrested after Plane Stupid, the environmental activist group, broke through the barriers and created a 'stockade' on a taxiway which resulted in 52 flights being cancelled.[11]

The Competition Commission ruled in March 2009 that BAA should sell Gatwick and Stansted Airports within two years.[12] The ruling was quashed within a year following an appeal but was subsequently upheld.[13] The Competition Commission reconfirmed its ruling in July 2011 that the airport be sold,[14] and the Court of Appeal turned down an appeal by BAA on 26 July 2012.[15] In light of the result, BAA chose not to appeal to the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom and confirmed on 20 August 2012 that the airport would be sold.[16]

Infrastructure

Terminal and Satellite buildings

Inside the Terminal building

Stansted is the newest passenger airport of all the main London airports. The Terminal is an oblong glass building, and is separated into three areas: Check-in and main concourse along the front, Departures towards the back left and Arrivals on the back right upon entry. There are no gates in the main Terminal building; instead, there are three separate oblong Satellite buildings in which the gates are located, with a fourth satellite building under construction.[17] Satellites One and Two Gates 29 to 38 are reached by the Transit system taking passengers from the Departure hall and to the Arrivals hall in the main Terminal building. Satellite Two is also connected to the Terminal building by a walkway for Gates 81 to 88 as is Satellite Three which is not served by the Transit system.

Satellite Three has no air gates which suits the preference of Stansted's biggest airline Ryanair of boarding and disembarking with steps. Satellite Three and Two and is where most Ryanair flights operate as a result and only Ryanair uses it. All other airlines use Satellites One and Domestic Two which, unlike Satellite Three, are both equipped with air bridges however aircraft can still use steps at these Satellites also. Ryanair never uses Satellite One due to its dislike of the required use of the Transit train for passengers to reach it. This is the most frequently used Satellite building by Stansted's other airlines, including EasyJet.

The Terminal facilities include several bureaux de change facilities, luggage services, internet access, toilets, showers, a chapel and multifaith prayer room for worship.[18] There are over 60 shops, bars, restaurants and cafés throughout the airport as well as the provision of airport lounges.[19]

Car parks and hotels

The Radisson Blu hotel which is just a short walk from the Terminal building.

Stansted has a variety of Car Parking including Long, Mid and Short Stay options along with Valet and Meet and Greet Parking services. There are also two drop off areas available. The express area is located near the short stay car park while a free service is within the mid stay. A fee is charged for the express service.[20] Terminal Road North and its free drop off area directly outside the terminal was closed shortly after MAG took over the airport in 2013. Stansted also offers a range of Hotel Accommodation including the Hilton, Premier Inn and Radisson Blu hotels, the last of which is within two minutes of the Terminal building via an undercover walkway. There are regular bus service transfers between the Terminal building and Stansted's Car Parks and Hotels.

Control tower

The Terminal Building where the Control Tower can be seen adjacent to it.

Stansted's air traffic control tower was completed in 1996 and is amongst the tallest in Britain and was the tallest at the time of its construction.[21] It is located at the north-east of the airfield just to the south of the terminal building. It has green-coloured tinted glass which matches that of the windows on the satellite buildings. It replaced the old control tower, which offered poor views of the airfield once the current terminal building was opened in 1991.

Other infrastructure

There are several cargo buildings and hangars around the airfield. The main cargo centre is located by the control tower and handles most cargo operations, including aircraft such as the McDonnell Douglas MD-11 and the Boeing 747. There are a small number of hangars on the other side of the runway to the rest of the airport. The largest are located at the south east of the airfield, one of which is used by Ryanair.

Titan Airways has its head office in the Enterprise House on the airport property.[22] Several airlines at one time had their head offices on the airport property. AirUK (later KLM uk) had its head office in the Stansted House.[23][24] When Buzz existed, its head office was in the Endeavour House.[25] When AB Airlines existed, its head office was in the Enterprise House.[26] For a period Lloyd International Airways had its head office at the Lloyd House at Stansted.[27] When Go Fly existed its head office was at the Enterprise House.[28]

Proposed developments

Abandoned plans for a second runway

On 11 March 2008, BAA submitted a planning application (titled "G2") to expand the airport by 3 sq mi (8 km2) and for the construction of a second runway and terminal, etc., in line with a recommendation in the 2003 Air Transport White Paper (ATWP). This would have been the subject of a public inquiry and, if approved, would have allowed Stansted to handle more passengers than Heathrow did at the time of the application.[29]

In May 2010 BAA withdrew its plans to build a second runway at Stansted and withdrew the plans to build a new runway at Heathrow.[30]

The ATWP had anticipated that a second runway would be operational by 2011, but this date continued to slip. BAA's 2008 planning application envisaged operation commencing in 2015, and in 2009, BAA revised the anticipated opening date to 2017.

Prior to the United Kingdom's May 2010 general election, all three major political parties pledged not to approve a second runway. Soon after the election, the new government confirmed this, and BAA withdrew its application for planning permission, having spent nearly £200 million preparing for the public inquiry and buying up properties.

The public inquiry into BAA's second runway application had been scheduled to start on 15 April 2009, but the start was delayed by Secretary of State Hazel Blears to allow time for BAA and the Government to consider the implications of the March 2009 Competition Commission's ruling that BAA must sell Stansted within two years. As 2011 drew to a close, BAA was still appealing against the Competition Commission ruling. On 20 August 2012, after losing a case at the Court of Appeal, BAA agreed to cease challenging the Competition Commission's ruling and to sell Stansted.

On 10 February 2010, Secretary of State John Denham, in an open letter, concluded that the inquiry could not reasonably start until after the General Election. In addition, he commented that the planning application documents were nearly two years old and would require updating. Eventually, BAA realised the futility of pursuing its G2 application in the context of the new government policy and withdrew it on 24 May 2010.[30]

Stop Stansted Expansion (SSE)

Stop Stansted Expansion logo

The advocacy group Stop Stansted Expansion ("SSE"), formed in 2002 as a working group of the North West Essex and East Herts Preservation Association, in response to the Government's consultation on expanding UK airports and, particularly, expansion plans for Stansted Airport subsequently defined in the Air Transport White Paper in December 2003.[31]

It still actively campaigns against what its members see as the unsustainable expansion of the airport. SSE was a major participant in the 2007 "G1" public inquiry and had committed to be a major participant in the anticipated inquiry into the 'G2' second runway proposal. Following the withdrawal of the G2 planning application the group called upon BAA to sell the homes it had bought to support the planned expansion.

In September 2012, as a result of pressure from the aviation industry, the Government set up the Airports Commission, chaired by Sir Howard Davies,[32] to consider what, if anything, needed to be done to maintain the UK's status as a global aviation hub. The Commission concluded that an additional runway would be required for South East England and that it should be added to either Heathrow or Gatwick. Following the 2015 election the Commission made a final recommendation to expand Heathrow subject to certain environmental constraints.

Throughout 2013 the Airports Commission published discussion papers and invited submissions from key stakeholders on the main issues it wished to consider. SSE made several thorough submissions. SSE also accepted an invitation to give oral evidence and make a presentation to the Commission on aviation demand forecasting and connectivity at a public evidence session held in Manchester in July 2013.[33]

Terminal redevelopment

MAG announced on 20 June 2013 as part of a visit to the airport by the Secretary of State for Transport that it would be launching an £80 million terminal redevelopment programme. The redevelopment will include relocating the security area, doubling the amount of seating and improving the information displays. MAG will invest £40 million and the remainder will be invested by other commercial partners. This includes extension to the Departures Lounge which includes a Food court and Escape Lounge. Satellite One is also being redeveloped with the aim to attract more long haul airlines to Stansted.[34]

Airlines and destinations

Passenger

AirlinesDestinations
Air Moldova Chișinău
Airnavia
operated by Danish Air Transport 		Aalborg (begins 2 May 2016)
Aurigny Air Services Guernsey
Austrian Airlines Seasonal: Innsbruck
BH Air Seasonal: Burgas
British Airways
operated by BA CityFlyer 		Faro (begins 29 May 2016), Ibiza (begins 28 May 2016), Málaga (begins 28 May 2016), Palma de Mallorca (begins 28 May 2016) [35]
EasyJet Amsterdam, Asturias, Belfast-International, Bilbao, Cagliari, Edinburgh, Glasgow-International, Ljubljana, Málaga, Munich, Naples, Nice, Palma de Mallorca, Prague, Sharm el-Sheikh (suspended)[36]
Seasonal: Bodrum, Dalaman, Dubrovnik, Geneva, Grenoble, Ibiza, Reykjavik-Keflavík, Sofia, Split, Zakynthos (begins 28 May 2016)
Eurowings Vienna
Flybe Seasonal: Newquay
Flybe
operated by BMI Regional for Loganair 		Newcastle upon Tyne (ends 24 March 2016)
Flybe
operated by Loganair 		Dundee
Flybe
operated by Stobart Air 		Isle of Man (ends 26 March 2016)
Germanwings Cologne/Bonn, Hannover, Stuttgart
Pegasus Airlines Ercan, Istanbul-Sabiha Gökçen, İzmir
Seasonal: Bodrum
Ryanair Aarhus, Alghero, Alicante, Ancona, Athens, Barcelona, Bari, Basel/Mulhouse, Bergamo, Bergerac, Berlin-Schönefeld, Biarritz, Billund, Bologna, Bordeaux, Bratislava, Bremen, Brindisi, Brno, Bucharest, Budapest, Bydgoszcz, Carcassonne, Castellón, Cologne/Bonn, Comiso, Cork, Derry, Dinard, Dortmund, Dublin, Edinburgh, Eindhoven, Faro, Fez, Frankfurt-Hahn, Fuerteventura, Gdańsk, Genoa, Glasgow-International, Gothenburg-Landvetter, Gran Canaria, Hamburg (begins 1 November 2016), Karlsruhe/Baden-Baden, Katowice, Kaunas (ends 26 March 2016), Kerry, Knock, Kraków, La Rochelle, Lamezia Terme, Lanzarote, Leipzig/Halle, Limoges, Linz, Lisbon, Lourdes, Lublin, Łódź, Madrid, Málaga, Malta, Marrakesh, Marseille, Memmingen, Milan-Malpensa, Murcia, Nuremberg, Osijek, Oslo-Rygge, Oslo-Torp, Ostrava, Palanga (begins 29 March 2016), Palermo, Palma de Mallorca, Paphos, Parma, Perpignan, Perugia, Pescara (ends 1 November 2016), Pisa, Plovdiv, Podgorica, Poitiers, Ponta Delgada, Porto, Poznań, Prague Rabat, Reus, Riga, Rome-Ciampino, Rzeszów, Salzburg, Santander, Santiago de Compostela, Seville, Shannon, Sofia (begins 27 March 2016),[37] Stockholm-Skavsta, Stockholm-Västerås, Szczecin, Tallinn, Tenerife-South, Thessaloniki, Timișoara (begins 1 November 2016),[38] Toulouse (begins 1 November 2016),[39] Tours, Treviso, Trieste, Turin, Valencia, Verona, Vilnius, Warsaw-Modlin, Weeze, Wrocław, Zaragoza
Seasonal: Almería, Brive, Chania, Corfu, Deauville, Girona,[40] Grenoble,[40] Ibiza, Jerez de la Frontera, Kefalonia,[37] Kos, Pula, Rhodes, Rijeka,[37] Zadar
Scandinavian Airlines Gothenburg-Landvetter (ends 29 February 2016)
Thomas Cook Airlines Antalya, Enfidha, Fuerteventura, Lanzarote, Tenerife-South
Seasonal: Almería (begins 27 July 2016), Bodrum, Burgas (begins 22 July 2016), Cancún, Corfu, Dalaman, Gran Canaria (begins 21 July 2016),[41] Ibiza, İzmir, Kefalonia, Kos, Larnaca (begins 26 May 2016), Las Vegas, Menorca, Orlando-International, Palma de Mallorca, Reus (begins 24 July 2016), Rhodes, Sharm el-Sheikh (begins 5 May 2016), Skiathos, Zakynthos
Thomson Airways Cancún (begins 3 May 2016), Fuerteventura, Gran Canaria, Lanzarote, Sharm el-Sheikh, Tenerife-South
Seasonal: Antalya, Corfu, Dalaman, Enfidha, Faro, Grenoble, Heraklion, Ibiza, Innsbruck, Kefalonia, Kos, Minorca, Orlando-Sanford (begins 4 May 2016), Palma de Mallorca, Paphos, Rhodes, Salzburg, Turin, Zakynthos
Titan Airways Hassi Messaoud
Seasonal charter: Calvi, Chambéry, Dalaman, Figari, Grenoble, Preveza, Tarbes/Lourdes

Cargo

AirlinesDestinations
Asiana Cargo Milan-Malpensa, Moscow-Domodedovo, Seoul-Incheon
Astral Aviation Nairobi
Cargolux Hong Kong,[42] Luxembourg,[42] Milan-Malpensa
China Southern Cargo Guangzhou,[43] Frankfurt
FedEx Express Cologne/Bonn, Dublin, Indianapolis, Memphis, Paris-Charles de Gaulle
FedEx Feeder
operated by ASL Airlines Ireland 		Amsterdam, Glasgow-International, Manchester
FedEx Feeder
operated by Swiftair 		Glasgow-International
Jet2.com Edinburgh, Newcastle upon Tyne
Martinair Aguadilla, Amsterdam, Bogotá
Panalpina Huntsville, Luxembourg
Qatar Airways Cargo Accra, Doha, Milan-Malpensa, Oslo-Gardermoen
Silk Way Airlines Baku, New York-JFK
Royal Mail
operated by Jet2.com 		Belfast-International, Edinburgh
Royal Mail
operated by Titan Airways 		Belfast-International, Edinburgh, Exeter
Royal Mail
operated by West Atlantic 		Newcastle upon Tyne, Bournemouth
Turkish Airlines Cargo Amsterdam, Istanbul Atatürk
TNT Airways Liège
UPS Airlines Cologne/Bonn, Newark, Philadelphia

Statistics

1988–2000

In 1988, over 1.1 million passengers passed through Stansted, the first time annual passenger numbers had exceeded 1 million at the airport.[44] Consistent year-on-year growth followed and by 1997 the total had reached over 5 million, rapidly rising to almost 12 million in 2000.[2]

2000 onwards

In 2007 passenger numbers peaked at nearly 24 million, but then declined for 5 years and in 2012 the total was around 17.5 million. An increase of 2.2% was recorded in 2013 to 17.8 million passengers, then 11.7% in 2014 to 19.9 million, making Stansted the fourth busiest airport in the United Kingdom.[2] Stansted also is a major freight airport, the third busiest in the UK during 2014, behind London Heathrow and East Midlands Airport, handling in excess of 200,000 tonnes per annum, although freight throughput has declined slightly from its 2005 peak level.[2]

Ryanair Boeing 737-800 at London Stansted Airport
easyJet Airbus A319-100 at London Stansted Airport
Thomas Cook Airlines Airbus A320-200 at London Stansted Airport
UPS Airlines Boeing 767-300F at London Stansted Airport
Panalpina Boeing 747-8F at London Stansted Airport
TNT Airways Airbus A300 at London Stansted Airport
London Stansted Airport Passenger Totals 2000–2014 (millions) [2]
Updated: 26 March 2015.
Number of Passengers[nb 1] Percentage Change Number of Movements[nb 2] Freight (tonnes)
2000 11,878,190 – 165,779 167,823
2001 13,665,333 Increase15.0% 169,583 165,660
2002 16,054,522 Increase17.5% 170,544 184,449
2003 18,722,112 Increase16.6% 186,475 198,565
2004 20,910,842 Increase11.7% 192,245 225,772
2005 21,998,673 Increase5.2% 193,511 237,045
2006 23,687,013 Increase7.7% 206,693 224,312
2007 23,779,697 Increase0.4% 208,462 203,747
2008 22,360,364 Decrease6.0% 193,282 197,738
2009 19,957,077 Decrease10.7% 167,817 182,810
2010 18,573,592 Decrease6.9% 155,140 202,238
2011 18,052,843 Decrease2.8% 148,317 202,593
2012 17,472,699 Decrease3.2% 143,511 214,160
2013 17,852,393 Increase2.2% 146,324 211,952
2014 19,941,593 Increase11.7% 157,117 204,725
Source: UK Civil Aviation Authority[2]
  1. ↑ number of passengers including both domestic and international
  2. ↑ number of movements represents total aircraft takeoffs and landings during that year

Busiest routes

Busiest routes (2014)[2]
Rank Airport Passengers handled % Change
2013 / 14
1 Dublin808,672Increase 11
2 Rome-Ciampino475,690Increase 18
3 Bergamo437,169Increase 16
4 Barcelona372,863Increase 70
5 Madrid369,932Increase 56
6 Edinburgh360,251Increase 10
7 Pisa342,953Increase 13
8 Malaga326,165Increase 5
9 Warsaw-Modlin330,289Increase 332
10 Belfast-International306,883Increase 3
11 Glasgow-International304,154Decrease 1
12 Palma de Mallorca296,089Increase 6
13 Budapest293,453Decrease 2
14 Amsterdam279,382Increase 2
15 Lisbon260,451Increase 1212
16 Kraków258,988Increase 4
17 Cork256,672Increase 7
18 Billund256,523Increase 10
19 Rygge254,616Steady
20 Porto253,177Increase 12

Ground transport

Transit system

The transit system which links the main terminal building to satellite buildings 1 (gates 1 – 19) and 2 (gates 20 – 39).

The Stansted Airport Transit System connects two of the terminals via a 2 mi (3 km) free automated people mover service which runs on dual concrete track. The system uses a mix of Adtranz C-100 and Bombardier Innovia APM 100 vehicles to carry passengers to departure gates; unlike the similar Gatwick Airport transit, the Stansted transit is only accessible "airside" (i.e. only after passengers pass through security).

Trains

The Stansted Express at London Liverpool Street.

Stansted Airport railway station is situated at the Terminal building below the main concourse. Rail services to Birmingham New Street, stopping at Cambridge, Peterborough and Leicester run every 60 minutes operated by CrossCountry.

The Stansted Express train runs to and from London Liverpool Street in Central London every 15 minutes and the usual journey time is roughly 45 to 53 minutes. London Liverpool Street is served by the Central, Circle, Hammersmith & City and the Metropolitan lines of the London Underground network, offering access throughout London. The Stansted Express also calls at Tottenham Hale allowing for connections to the Victoria line, offering connections to the North and West End of London. Some services also call at Stansted Mountfitchet, Bishop's Stortford and Harlow Town en-route to London Liverpool Street.

Buses and coaches

Scheduled express bus or coach services run to and from Stratford (45 minutes), Victoria Coach Station (75 minutes), Liverpool Street Station (55 minutes) and Golders Green (70 minutes) (all in London), costing about half the train fare but taking longer. The bus station is next to the terminal building. National Express runs scheduled but infrequent direct coach services to the airport from Oxford as service JL737, taking about three hours, and hourly services to and from Cambridge. EasyBus provides journeys between the airport and Central London.

A few local bus services operate to the nearby communities of Bishops Stortford and Stansted Mountfitchet, most notably the 510/509 (Harlow to Stansted), 308 (Bishops Stortford to Stansted) and the 700 Express (Stevenage to Stansted). Villagelink services 5 and 7 connect to many of the nearby villages. Journeys are free of charge within the vicinity of the airport, by reason of a green travel plan instituted by the BAA to reduce staff demands for parking space.

Roads

Stansted is connected to northeast London and Cambridge by the M11 motorway and to Braintree, Colchester and Harwich by the A120, which is dual-carriageway until Braintree. The road distance to London is 37 miles (60 km).

As of October 1996, the airport has 2,500 short stay parking spaces within walking distance to the terminal. In addition, as of the same month, the airport has over 8,000 long stay spaces located near the M11 motorway and A120 junction. A courtesy bus service links the long stay spaces to the terminal.[45] The airport also offers mid stay parking, closer to the terminal than its long stay spaces.[45] Stansted Airport also offers valet-parking and a meet and greet service which is similar to valet but marketed more at the leisure traveller market, both are run from the short stay car park[46]

Incidents and accidents

Stansted has been designated by the UK Government as its preferred airport for any hijacked planes requesting to land in the UK. This is because its design allows a hijacked airliner to be isolated well away from any terminal buildings or runways, allowing the airport to continue to operate while negotiations are carried out, or even while an assault or rescue mission is undertaken. For this reason Stansted has been involved in more hijack incidents than might be expected for an airport of its size.

See also

References

Citations

  1. ↑ "London Stansted – EGSS". Nats-uk.ead-it.com. Retrieved 6 September 2013.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "CAA: Annual UK Airport Statistics". UK Civil Aviation Authority. Retrieved 25 April 2015.
  3. ↑ "Stansted Airport being sold to Manchester for £1.5bn". BBC News. 19 January 2013. Retrieved 28 February 2013.
  4. ↑ Sinead Holland (28 February 2013). "£1.5 billion Stansted Airport sale complete". Harlow Star. Retrieved 28 February 2013.
  5. ↑ Wright Aircraft Illustrated February 1978, p. 70.
  6. ↑ Wright Aircraft Illustrated February 1978, pp. 70–71.
  7. ↑ Roskill (1971). Report, Commission on the Third London Airport. London: HMSO.
  8. ↑ Ritchie, p. 173
  9. ↑ Above Us The Skies: The Story Of BAA – 1991 (Michael Donne – BAA plc), p. 62-63
  10. ↑ Harrison, Michael (1 April 1993). "American Airlines to quit Stansted: Long haul carrier scraps Chicago service". The Independent (UK). Retrieved 11 May 2010.
  11. ↑ "Runway protest strands passengers". BBC News. 8 December 2008. Retrieved 11 May 2010.
  12. ↑ "BAA could challenge airport sale". BBC News. 19 March 2009. Retrieved 28 February 2013.
  13. ↑ "BAA sell-off back on track after court ruling". BBC News. 13 October 2010. Retrieved 28 February 2013.
  14. ↑ "BAA loses final Competition Commission sell-off ruling". BBC News. 19 July 2011. Retrieved 19 July 2011.
  15. ↑ "BAA loses latest appeal against Stansted sale". BBC News. 26 July 2012. Retrieved 28 February 2013.
  16. ↑ "Stansted Airport to be sold by BAA". BBC News. 20 August 2012. Retrieved 28 February 2013.
  17. ↑ "The future". London Stansted Airport. Retrieved 12 February 2012.
  18. ↑ "Prayer Room". Retrieved 11 February 2014.
  19. ↑ "Stansted Airport Lounge". Retrieved 11 February 2014.
  20. ↑ "Pick Up and Drop Off". Retrieved 2 June 2015.
  21. ↑ "Stansted Airport Control Tower – MDA Consulting". Retrieved 29 October 2010.
  22. ↑ "Contact Us." Titan Airways. Retrieved 16 December 2011. "Titan Airways Ltd Enterprise House Stansted Airport Essex CM24 1RN"
  23. ↑ "Home-page." [sic] AirUK. Retrieved 28 February 2010.
  24. ↑ "World Airline Directory." Flight International. 18–24 March 1998. 82.
  25. ↑ "Contact Us." Buzz. Retrieved 2 September 2009.
  26. ↑ "An Introduction to AB Airlines." AB Airlines. 30 January 1998. Retrieved 7 February 2011. "AB Airlines – Internet Enquiry Office Enterprise House, Stansted Airport Essex. CM24 1QW"
  27. ↑ "World Airline Directory." Flight International. 10 April 1969. 580. "Head Office: Lloyd House, First Avenue, Stansted Airport, Essex."
  28. ↑ "World Airline Directory." Flight International. 27 March – 2 April 2001. 77. "Enterprise House, 2nd Floor, Stansted Airport, Stansted, Essex, CM241SB, UK"
  29. ↑ "£2.5bn Stansted Generation 2 planning bid submitted". Transport Briefing. 12 March 2008.
  30. 1 2 BBC News: Heathrow and Stansted runway plans scrapped by BAA, 24 May 2010. Visited 20 June 2011
  31. ↑ [ARCHIVED CONTENT] The Future of Air Transport – White Paper and the Civil Aviation Bill. Webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk. Retrieved 16 August 2013.
  32. ↑ Airports Commission. GOV.UK. Retrieved 16 August 2013.
  33. ↑ Stansted Airport Airfield Fire Services 30 March 1998 Emerald Airways HS748 engine exploded on take off whilst carrying the Leeds United football team, aircraft written off but no one injured. Captain John Hackett received awards for his actions saving the passengers lives.
  34. ↑ "Transport Secretary Launches £80 Million Terminal Redevelopment". London Stansted Airport. 20 June 2013. Retrieved 11 February 2014.
  35. ↑ http://www.itv.com/news/anglia/update/2016-02-09/british-airways-to-launch-stansted-flights-in-the-summer/
  36. ↑ http://www.stanstedairport.com/Communications/Information/22767/sharm-el-sheikh-flight-information
  37. 1 2 3 "Ryanair.com". bookryanair.com. Retrieved 13 September 2015.
  38. ↑ New London Stansted-Timisoara Winter Route
  39. ↑ "Ryanair Opens Toulouse Service from Nov 2016". airlineroute. Retrieved 27 January 2016.
  40. 1 2 "Ryanair Flight Timetable". Ryanair.
  41. ↑ http://airlineroute.net/2015/12/24/mt-stnlpa-jul16/
  42. 1 2 "Stansted: Freight carrier Cargolux launches Hong Kong and Luxembourg link – Business – East Anglian Daily Times". Eadt.co.uk. 10 February 2013. Retrieved 6 March 2013.
  43. ↑ UBM Aviation,OAG Cargo. "Welcome to Inforwarding – Operational Announcements for the Air Cargo industry". Retrieved 2 June 2015.
  44. ↑ "1983 – 1997 Airport Statistics – Aviation Intelligence". United Kingdom Civil Aviation Authority. Retrieved 28 January 2013.
  45. 1 2 Stansted Website on Stansted Parking Facilities, visited 19 June 2011
  46. ↑ Stansted Airport Press Release visited 21 June 2013
  47. ↑ "Stansted's Hijack History, ''BBC News'', 7 February 2000". BBC News. 7 February 2000. Retrieved 6 January 2014.
  48. ↑ "Hijacking Description". Aviation Safety Network. 6 January 2014. Retrieved 6 January 2014.
  49. ↑ "Special report: Hijack at Stansted". BBC News. 14 February 2000. Retrieved 5 April 2007.
  50. ↑ "Afghans win right to stay in UK". BBC News. 13 July 2004. Retrieved 5 April 2007.
  51. ↑ http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-22658979 | Retrieved 24 May 2013
  52. ↑ "Two men arrested for 'endangering aircraft' as passenger plane is diverted to Stansted Airport". Herts and Essex Observer (Online). 22 September 2013. Retrieved 8 October 2013.

Bibliography

External links

Media related to London Stansted Airport at Wikimedia Commons


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