In the 12 months ending March 2017, Stansted’s passenger numbers grew by 5.0% compared with the previous year, with the moving annual total rising to 24.3 million.
The monthly figure was broadly flat (-0.8%) compared to March 16, due in part to the later Easter holidays this year and also the previously reported temporary reduction in capacity on some Ryanair routes over the end of the winter season.
The top five international growth markets by passenger numbers in the past 12 months were Italy, Bulgaria, Spain, Germany and Poland.
Spain, Italy and Germany were also the most popular countries by total passenger volumes in the last year with 41% of all the passengers traveling through Stansted flying to or from destinations in these countries. The most popular destinations include Rome, Barcelona, Madrid, Bergamo, Berlin and Cologne.
Cargo volumes increased by 10.2% over March 16 with over 24,000 tonnes shipped through the airport during the month. In the 12 months to March 17, the annual total grew by 4.7% on the previous year to nearly 255,000 tonnes.
Andrew Cowan said: "Passenger numbers during the month were broadly flat compared to March last year which was in line with expectations due to the later Easter holidays and some capacity reductions across the winter schedule.
"However, we've already had a very positive start to April following the launch of the airlines’ summer timetables. We've seen Jet2.com successfully launch its inaugural flights from its new base at Stansted, the airline's first in the South East, and our existing carriers Ryanair, easyJet, Eurowings and British Airways have added new routes and frequencies to their schedules for this summer.
“Additionally, last week we received new positive news with the granting of planning permission for our new £130 million arrivals building which will help transform our infrastructure and facilities to give our passengers the best possible experience.
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