In May, Stansted welcomed over two million passengers, an increase of 12.6% and 230,000 passengers over the same month in 2014 and the first time the two million total has been reached in May since 2008. It was also the twelfth consecutive month of double digit growth at the airport.
Cargo volumes at Stansted continue to increase with 233,000 tonnes passing through the airport in the last year, up 11.7% on the previous 12 months.
Andrew Harrison, Stansted’s Managing Director, said:“Stansted continues to go from strength to strength with passenger numbers growing by over three million in the last year, the same contribution to passenger growth as Heathrow and Gatwick airports put together.
“Stansted is the fastest growing airport in the country and the last 12 months provide further proof of the important role that it will play in meeting the UK's capacity needs.
“Stansted already offers an extensive network of European routes and the airport will make a huge contribution to improving the UK’s connectivity with the rest of the world at a time when other airports will have already run out of capacity.
“Experience suggests that it will take at least another 10-15 years to deliver a new runway, and with demand expected to grow strongly over this period, we need to be working hard as a country to make sure existing capacity is used to its full potential.
“Airports like Stansted with room to grow will have a fundamental role in meeting increased demand, and the Government's response to the Airports Commission's final report must tackle these issues together with those associated with delivering a new runway. That's why we are pushing Government and Network Rail to commit to delivering rail improvements to Stansted as an urgent priority.
“Making the most of existing capacity is a vital precursor to building new capacity, because it will allow us to offer businesses and passengers the best fares and choice of destinations, and provide a significant boost to the UK’s productivity and economic performance.”
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For further information contact Stansted Airport press office:
T: +44 (0)1279 680534
E: mediacentre@stanstedairport.com
W: stanstedairport.com
twitter: @STN_Airport
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