Stansted had 25m passengers this year – finally well above levels in 2007 after years of declines
Stansted airport had 25 million passengers in the past year, its highest number ever. Numbers of passengers using Stansted have been growing rapidly in recent years following its acquisition in 2013 from the former BAA group by Manchester Airports Group (MAG) – and the end of the recession that started in 2008. There are now some new operators, as well as increased activity by established airlines, including Ryanair. Stansted says it now has 190 destinations, and a growing route network. They are now having their busiest summer ever, and hope to get to 26.5 million passengers by the end of 2017. Ryanair said that since its first Stansted flight in 1989, it has carried over 230 million passengers through Stansted with over 140 Stansted routes. The airport has recently given formal notification of its intention to submit a planning application later this year to seek permission to grow to an annual throughput of 44.5 million passengers and 285,000 flights. This compares to last year’s throughput of 24 million passengers and 180,000 flights. Stansted only got back the number of passengers it had in 2007 by 2016 – after years of declines.
.
Tweet
Stansted Airport celebrates breaking through the 25m passenger a year barrier
31.7.2017 (East Anglia Daily Times – EADT)
By Duncan Brodie
London Stansted celebrates 25 million passengers by surprising two holidaymakers with free flights with Ryanair. The annual passenger total at Stansted Airport has passed the 25m mark for the first time.
Numbers at Stansted have been growing rapidly in recent years following its acquisition in 2013 from the former BAA group by Manchester Airports Group (MAG).
Growth has been helped by a multi-million pound transformation of the main terminal building, agreements with several new operators and increased activity by established airline customers including Ryanair.
Andrew Cowan, chief executive at Stansted Airport, said: “To welcome 25m passengers to Stansted in the last year is a fantastic achievement and a clear reflection of the significant and sustained growth we have experienced at the airport in the four years under MAG’s ownership.
“I’d like to thank all 25m passengers for choosing Stansted in the last 12 months and for helping us achieve this historic milestone, and our highly successful and valued airline partners for driving the growth through their commitment to the airport.
London Stansted celebrates 25 million passengers by surprising two holidaymakers with free flights with Ryanair: from left, Millie Hughes from Braintree and Thea Towers from Chelmsford.
“I’d also like to pay tribute to our hard-working and loyal staff who have all played their part in helping make Stansted the huge success story it is today.”
Mr Cowan added: “With over 190 destinations now available across our extensive and growing route network, and our busiest ever summer season well underway, we expect to welcome around 26.5m passengers by the end of the financial year as even more passengers choose to fly from Stansted.”
To help celebrate reaching the major landmark, two holidaymakers were surprised with two free flights from Stansted with Ryanair.
The lucky recipients were Millie Hughes from Braintree and Thea Towers from Chelmsford who were presented with a pair of return tickets with Ryanair to any destination on its route network when they checked in for their flights to Palma Majorca last Thursday.
Friends Thea and Millie are regular users of Stansted and were thrilled to be the airport’s milestone passengers. Thea said: “We are truly gobsmacked to be Stansted’s 25millionth passengers, and to win two free flights has really made this a brilliant day and a fantastic way to start our week away.”
Kenny Jacobs, chief marketing officer at Ryanair, said: “As London Stansted’s largest airline, Ryanair is pleased to help the airport deliver record passenger numbers and celebrate carrying 25m annual passengers the first time.
“Since our first Stansted flight in 1989, Ryanair has carried over 230m passengers through the airport and we currently offer over 140 Stansted routes. We look forward to continuing to grow our traffic and network at our largest airport base.”
.
.
CAA airport statistics
Terminal Passengers
2005 21,992
2000 11,858
See also
Stop Stansted Expansion warn people not to be hoodwinked by deceptive displays about airport’s growth plans
Stop Stansted Expansion (SSE) has issued a warning to residents across the region not to be hoodwinked by Stansted Airport’s smoke-and-mirror exhibition and biased consultation survey on its further expansion plans. Both appear designed to trick people into thinking that further Stansted expansion in passenger number will be painless and sustainable. They make these claims, even before the environmental impacts have been assessed. The displays are deliberately misleading, and SSE says people should be very sceptical. Brian Ross, SSE’s deputy chairman, said the displays are all about spinning the positives and saying nothing about the negatives.” People attending the exhibitions need to ask searching questions, like explanations about the proposed increase in flight lights compared to today. And and passenger movements compared to the position today. This, say SSE, reveals a very different picture from the one being put forward by Stansted’s bosses who have been making the false claim that the extra passenger numbers will only lead to “approximately two extra flights an hour”. In reality the proposal would mean an extra 2,000 flights a week compared to today’s levels – 285 per day. That means an increase from on average of a plane every 2¼ minutes, to a plane every 85 seconds. Stansted current has permission for 35 million passengers per year, while it currently has about 25 million. But the airport says it ‘urgently’ needs the cap to be raised to 44.5 million. And see this link too.
Click here to view full story…
Stop Stansted Expansion brands airport expansion plans as premature and opportunistic
Stop Stansted Expansion (SSE) has condemned Stansted Airport for insulting the intelligence of Uttlesford District Council (UDC) and the community at large by claiming that its latest expansion proposals will have “no significant adverse environmental effects”. SSE’s Chairman Peter Sanders has further stressed the need for the council not to be hoodwinked by the airport’s spurious claim and to ensure a comprehensive, honest and thorough assessment of all the environmental impacts that would result from major expansion. The statement comes following the airport’s formal notification of its intention to submit a planning application later this year to seek permission to grow to an annual throughput of 44.5 million passengers and 285,000 flights. This compares to last year’s throughput of 24 million passengers and 180,000 flights. If approved, this would mean an extra 20 million passengers and an extra 104,000 flights every year blighting the lives of thousands across the region. Stansted hasn’t even started to make use of its 2008 permission to grow from 25mppa to 35mppa. Even by its own projections, the airport doesn’t expect to reach 35mppa until 2024 although the credibility of its forecasts is questionable given its wildly inaccurate record on this front.
Click here to view full story…
.