London Stansted Airport

Stansted Airport is an international airport serving the south-east of England. It is located near Stansted Mountfitchet, in the district of Uttlesford, Essex; it lies north-east of Central London.

As London's third-busiest airport, Stansted serves over 180 destinations across Europe, Asia and North Africa. London Stansted is a base for a number of European low-cost carriers; this includes being the largest base for low-cost airline Ryanair, with over 150 destinations served by the airline. , it is the fourth-busiest airport in the United Kingdom, after Heathrow, Gatwick and Manchester. During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021, it ranked second in the country. Stansted's runway is also used by private companies, such as the Harrods Aviation, Titan Airways and XJet terminals, which are private ground handlers that can handle private flights, charter flights and state visits.

Converted to civil use from RAF Stansted Mountfitchet in the late 1940s, Stansted was used by charter airlines. It came under British Airports Authority control in 1966. The privatised BAA sold Stansted in February 2013 to Manchester Airports Group  as a result of a March 2009 ruling by the Competition Commission against BAA's monopoly position.

The airport has one main passenger terminal, which opened in 1991, with three passenger satellites containing the departure gates. The terminal building was designed by Foster and Partners and is regarded as influential for airport architecture.

From 1997 to 2007, Stansted had rapid expansion of passenger numbers on the back of the boom in low-cost air travel, peaking at 24million passengers in the 12 months to October 2007, but passenger numbers declined in the next five years. Passenger totals later increased and it recorded an annual increase of 8.0% to 24.3million in 2016; numbers have since continued to rise. Stansted Mountfitchet Airport 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 an Air Technical Services Command  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.

Postwar 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.

In November 1946, the recently established British cargo airline, London Aero and Motor Services, 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.

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, '70s, and early '80s, the Fire Service Training School  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.

thumb|The pre-1991 terminal

Under BAA ownership (1966–2013)

thumb|The terminal building at night

thumb|The arrivals hall

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.

thumb|Aerial view of Stansted

Stansted had been held in reserve as a third London airport since the 1950s. However, after a public inquiry at Chelmsford in 1966–67, the government set up the Roskill Commission to review the need afresh. The Commission for the Third London Airport (the "Roskill Commission") of 1968–71 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. However, the Conservative government under Ted Heath agreed with a minority recommendation that a site at Foulness in the Thames Estuary, later renamed Maplin, should be developed, but in 1974, the incoming Labour government under Harold Wilson cancelled the Maplin project because of the economic situation.

Stansted was then considered as an option for long-term development in the Advisory Committee on Airports Policy  and the Study Group on South East Airports  and was selected from a short list of six by the Conservative government in December 1979. The proposal, for a new terminal associated with the existing runway and the safeguarding of land for a second runway, was considered at the Airports Inquiries of 1981–83. The Inspector's Report was published in 1984 and the decision, announced in a white paper in 1985, was to approve a plan to develop Stansted in two phases, involving both airfield and terminal improvements that would increase the airport's capacity to 15million passengers per year, but to reject the second runway.

Initially, the project was planned in two phases. The first phase was designed to permit an annual capacity of 8million passengers, while the second phase was intended to expand the terminal's capacity to 15million passengers per annum. It was initially believed that any future development beyond this capacity would require the construction of a second major terminal building.

Foster Associates terminal

Foster Associates, founded by architect Norman Foster, was commissioned to design the new terminal building, with structural engineering led by Peter Rice at principal engineers Ove Arup & Partners. The plans were approved in 1985, and construction took place between 1988 and 1991 by the John Laing company at a cost of £100million. The terminal building originally comprised a square structure of 11 bays by 11 bays, and opened to the public in 1991. It received the European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture (Mies van der Rohe Award) in 1990. As part of the development, a railway branch was built to the airport for Stansted Airport railway station, built at ground level within the terminal.

The building was recognised as a landmark work of high-tech architecture. Foster + Partners' design for Stansted Airport is widely regarded as a transformative influence on airport architecture. The building features open canopies that visually connect the landside and airside,

In 1999, planning permission was granted for Phase 2 of the terminal expansion, which included extending the width to 15 bays, as well as the addition of the third satellite building.

The Competition Commission ruled in March 2009 that BAA should sell Gatwick and Stansted Airports within two years. The ruling was quashed within a year following an appeal, but was subsequently upheld. The Competition Commission reconfirmed its ruling in July 2011 that the airport be sold, and the Court of Appeal turned down an appeal by BAA on 26 July 2012. 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.

Under MAG ownership (2013–)

In January 2013 it was announced that MAG (Manchester Airports Group) had agreed to purchase London Stansted Airport for £1.5billion. The sale was completed on 28 February 2013.

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 £80million terminal redevelopment programme. MAG has invested £40million and the remainder was invested by other commercial partners. The redevelopment included relocation of the security area, doubling the amount of seating, and improving the information displays. The new Departure Lounge offers a food court, new shops, and an Escape Lounge.

In 2017, Antonov Airlines opened a UK office at Stansted for cargo charter flights, generally of outsize loads.

COVID-19 pandemic and recovery

The COVID-19 pandemic had a severe impact on London Stansted Airport, leading to a significant reduction in passenger numbers and operational challenges. In 2020, the airport served just over 7.5million passengers, a large decline from its pre-pandemic levels of around 28million annually. At the height of the crisis, Stansted experienced a 95% drop in passenger footfall compared to 2019. Cargo operations, however, saw a 53% increase as the airport adapted to new demands. The airport showed signs of recovery by late 2022, with passenger levels nearing 97% of pre-pandemic volumes.

In the wake of this recovery, in 2023 Stansted Airport announced a £1.1billion expansion plan including a £600million extension of the terminal and facilities, to increase its capacity to serve up to 43million passengers per year. This expansion is expected to add 200 flights per day to the airport's schedule and create over 5,000 jobs over the next five years.

Infrastructure

Terminal and satellite buildings

The terminal is separated into three general areas: Check-in and main concourse along the front, departures towards the southern end, and international arrivals to the northern end of the building. There is a separate baggage reclaim for Domestic arrivals. No gates are in the main terminal building; instead, they are located in three separate oblong satellite buildings, one connected to the main terminal by air bridges, one by the Stansted Airport Transit System people mover, and one by both. Four further bussing gates are accessed from below the main terminal building. The airport has 52 gates with 12 serviceable jetbridges. Long-term plans for Satellite 4, approved in 1999 and revised in 2005, have not been realised, but its site was developed as remote stands in 2018.

As of 2013, Satellite 1 (Gates 1-19) had been redeveloped with the aim to attract more long-haul airlines to Stansted. Furthermore, a dual jetbridge has been added at Stand 13 (Boarding Gate 12), allowing faster boarding and deboarding of wide-body aircraft. An additional building, known as the Advanced Passenger Vehicle (APV), was brought back into use in 2016 for flights departing during the busy 06:00 to 09:00 period. The APV building is linked to the main terminal building by an accessible route and acts as a bus terminal for international flights at remote stands. Prior to the completion of Satellite 3, this terminal (then consisted of gates 90–95) was in regular passenger use.

{| class="wikitable"

! Satellite building !! Gate numbers !! Passenger access !! Notes

| Satellite 1 || 119 || Transit system || Used by most major airlines such as British Airways, Emirates, Pegasus, TUI and Jet2. This area is not used by Ryanair and EasyJet, furthest in distance but first stop on transit from the main terminal. Around four minutes transit ride this terminal has 10 jetbridges at gates 1,2,3,4,6,7,12,13,16 and 19. The remaining gates 5, 11, 14, 15 and 18 have airbridges but steps at the end of them.. Gate 2 is specially designed where there are three exits, gate 2A (exterior boarding), gate 2B (jetbridge) and gate 2C (coaching gate). Gate 17, formerly a gate without a jetbridge was put out of use

| rowspan="2" | Satellite 2

| 2939 || Transit system || Used by AJet, Turkish Airlines, Ryanair (when satellite 3 or the APV remote gates are full), Transavia and EasyJet. Situated in the upper level of Satellite 2 accessed via the second stop on transit from the main terminal. Jetbridges must be accessed by stairs, by lift or by escalator one floor down (same level as gates 8188). Around seven minutes transit ride. Only four of the jetbridges (Gates 30/88, 31/87, 33 and 37) are in service as of October 2024.

| 81–88 || || Used by EasyJet as well as Ryanair and occasionally by other airlines, for international and domestic departures; provides exit route for UK arrivals. International arriving passengers and those from the Common Travel Area are transferred to the international arrivals hall by bus. Located below gates 2939, and only takes up half of the first floor, but parallel to the jetbridges, which are also used by gates 2939. Around ten minutes walk from the terminal. Although these gates do have the jetbridges, they are out of use

| Satellite 3 || 4059 || Walkway from main terminal || Used exclusively by Ryanair; this building is currently not equipped with jet bridges, however gates 40-49 do have a fixed airbridge with steps attached to the end. Around 15minutes walk from the main terminal. Gates 40-50 are on Level 1 and require walk boarding and gates 51-59 are remote gates / walking gates on the lower level

|APV

|90–93

|Walkway from main terminal

|Used by Ryanair (and rarely, but in some cases, other airlines) during peak times; acts as a terminal for buses to remote stands. The access to the gates is underneath the main terminal, next to the quiet zone. Around a four minute walk from the main passenger area.

Domestic arrivals (from the UK) use a separate exit route, located in a separate building close to the railway station. This exit is connected solely by a bus upon arrival.

Common Travel Area arrivals are coached from stand, and taken to a separate entrance located at the North East of the terminal which leads to the main terminal baggage reclaim belts, bypassing Border Force, but without bypassing Customs.

Car parks

Stansted has a variety of car parking including long-, mid-, and short-stay options along with valet and meet-and-greet parking services. Two drop off areas also are available. The express area is located near the short-stay car park, while a free service is within the mid-stay area. A fee is charged for the express service. Terminal Road North and its free drop-off area directly outside the terminal was closed shortly after MAG took over the airport in 2013.

Control tower

thumb|[[Air traffic control tower]]

Stansted's air traffic control tower was completed in 1996 and was the tallest in Britain at the time of its construction. It is located on the southside of the airfield alongside the main terminal building. It replaced the old control tower, which offered poor views of the airfield once the current terminal building was opened in 1991.

Cargo handling

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.

Other facilities

Titan Airways has its head office in the Enterprise House on the airport property. 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. When Buzz existed, its head office was in the Endeavour House. When AB Airlines existed, its head office was in the Enterprise House. For a period Lloyd International Airways had its head office at the Lloyd House at Stansted. When Go Fly existed its head office was at the Enterprise House.

Since 2004, Stansted also offers a range of hotel accommodation including Holiday Inn Express, Novotel, Premier Inn, and Radisson Blu hotels and the recently opened Hampton by Hilton, the last two of which are both within two minutes of the terminal building via an undercover walkway. Regular bus service handles transfers between the terminal building and Stansted's car parks and hotels.

Proposed developments

Runway

Plans for a second runway

On 11 March 2008, BAA submitted a planning application (titled "G2") to expand the airport by 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.

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.

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 £200million 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. In September 2012, as a result of pressure from the aviation industry, the government set up the Airports Commission, chaired by Sir Howard Davies, 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.

Terminal

Ongoing Terminal extension

thumb|The terminal will be extended by three bays to the rear, replacing the [[Stansted Airport Transit System|passenger transit system.]]

In July 2023, MAG announced a new proposal for a reconfiguration and three-bay extension to the existing terminal building, which will increase its size by a third. This plan aims to create increased passenger amenities, with an expected cost of £600million. The new terminal design will incorporate a larger departure lounge, an enlarged security hall, and new amenities, including additional shops, bars, and restaurants. The baggage reclaim area will also feature new carousels and increased baggage handling capacity. The redevelopment will include the installation new check-in desks, and next-generation security scanners. Satellite 2 (gates 20-39) is also currently undergoing an upgrade and modernisation programme, with new flooring, lighting, and gate area seating. The existing gate areas are also being reconfigured to model conventional gate-rooms as seen in other airports, with the aim to create more space for passengers when pre-boarding their aircraft Additionally, the immigration hall will be relocated to a new area downstairs within the terminal. Also included in the programme is the installation of a 14.3-megawatt on-site solar farm. A revised scheme in 2005 included a pier link for the proposed satellite, with construction planned for 2013-2015, however plans did not proceed after the sale of BAA to Ferrovial, and construction never commenced. In 2018, the site of Satellite 4 was instead built as remote stands. which is the busiest of its kind in the UK.

The new arrivals terminal was to be located adjacent to the existing terminal and Radisson Blu Hotel. It would feature a larger immigration and baggage reclaim area. This new facility would allow the existing terminal to be reconfigured exclusively for departures, expanding space for check-in, security, and the international departures lounge, and would make London Stansted the only airport in the UK with separate arrivals and departures terminals.

Initial construction was due to start in 2018, taking three years to complete. However, the arrivals terminal was put on hold at the end of 2019, due to fluctuating travel demand and economic uncertainties. In 2020, Uttlesford District Council refused planning permission for the expansion plan, but the Planning Inspectorate overturned this decision following a public inquiry in 2021. Despite the approval, further delays and changes to the airport's priorities led to the arrivals terminal being deferred.

In 2023, following a review of various proposals for increasing terminal capacity, Stansted Airport decided to cancel the arrivals terminal project, opting instead to focus on expanding the existing 1991 terminal building.

Formerly proposed artwork

As part of the terminal's initial development, in 1988 Norman Foster and British architectural artist Brian Clarke made several proposals for an integral artwork for the terminal building. The principal proposal would have seen the east and west elevations of the terminal clad in two sequences of traditionally mouth-blown, leaded stained glass, along the full length of the building. However, for technical and security reasons, the artwork was not executed. In 1991, the British Airports Authority commissioned a second, smaller stained glass project from Clarke for Stansted Airport in place of the 1988 proposal. The artist designed two stained glass friezes and a high tower of stained glass for a circulation area in the centre of the terminal which, in their composition, echoed elements of Foster's structure; by 1994 the tower had been removed to 'allow greater flow of traffic through the space',

Cargo