When thinking about the high-flyers on London’s airport scene; Heathrow and Gatwick are the two that instantly spring to mind, right? But it seems as though another London airport could be throwing its hat into the ring, as London Stansted (the third busiest airport in London – well… kind of) is continuing to level up its offering.
Stansted has already begun to undergo the rather hefty glow-up that was announced back in 2023. But following the airport’s busiest year yet (with 2024 seeing just under 30 million people scurry through the terminal); plans to significantly boost the airport’s passenger numbers have just been revealed, too.
Stansted Airport new plans
The technically-not-in-London travel hub currently has capacity to hold 43 million passengers per year. But they sure are aiming high, as they’ve applied to Uttlesford District Council to increase the passenger limit to a whopping 51 million over the next 20 years.
The proposed plans don’t involve the construction of an additional runway. Instead, Stansted plans to make better use of its one existing runway and take full advantage of the number of yearly flights permitted to take off.
Stansted has pledged that any additional infrastructure will be powered entirely by renewable energy, in a bid to grow the airport in the most sustainable and responsible way possible. And if all goes to plan, access from the M11 motorway could be improved and around 4500 local jobs could be created.
Gareth Powell, London Stansted’s Managing Director, said: “We have already kicked off our five-year £1.2bn investment programme to transform the airport, and if this application is approved, we will be able to unlock even more local opportunities and improvements over the next 20 years. 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”.
You can read more about Stansted Airport’s proposed plans here.