Stansted Airport
When an airport states that its passenger numbers are circa 19 million a year, you’d think it would need no introductions, but the UK’s third busiest airport has an interesting history, which is well worth a read.
Stansted Airport in Essex was officially opened by Her Majesty the Queen in 1991, although the site on which it was built, wasn’t originally used by the aviation industry. Early records show that the land was used as a Roman burial site, which takes us back 2000 years. More recently, the United States Army Air Force (USAAF) constructed a runway on-site, and the first airport was born on 1942. The original airport was a hub for the D-DAY bombers during the Second World War, and they were sent from there over to the beaches of France. The first signs of commercial airport operations on the site came in the 1960’s when the British Airport Authority took control of the site.
After numerous upgrades and terminal extensions in the following years, Stansted Airport, complete with a new £400m terminal, was opened in 1991. Since then it has seen it has seen its customer numbers continue to grow, and it now operates 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Along with being the third busiest airport in the UK, it can also lay claim to being the fastest growing major airport in Europe, and the airport that offers the most scheduled flights to Europe, anywhere in the world. The growth has not always been plain sailing though, as there have been frequent objections from Essex residents to proposed expansions of flights, and also recent plans to build a second terminal and runway at Stansted.
Despite these disputes, the airport is very popular with low cost scheduled airlines, which run a timetable of flights to 140 destinations, in 31 countries across the world. Airlines operating out of Stansted include Easy Jet, Ryanair, Air Berlin, Atlantic Airways (Faroe Islands Airline), and Thomson. Flights leave Stansted heading to Europe, and further afield, and could end up landing in Kuala Lumpur, Sharm El Sheikh, the Canary Islands of Tenerife, Fuerteventura, and Lanzarote. Other destinations include Milan, Lyon, Oslo, Londonderry, Guernsey, and Reyjavik. With the possibility of booking connecting flights from one of these places, African, American, and Australian destinations are also possibilities for the adventurous holiday maker.
If you decide to book a flight from Stansted, you’ll find the airport is well equipped with dining, shopping, car hire, and hotel booking outlets. Transport to and from the airport won’t be a problem either, as Stansted has its own rail and bus/coach stations, which connect it with London and the South East, along with the dedicated Stansted Express Train Service. There are also ample options for those wishing to travel by taxi, or drive and park at the airport.
Whether you’re going on a short break, business trip, summer holiday, or winter getaway, Stansted can provide a wide choice of destinations, associated travel services, and up-to-date travel information. It’s easily accessible via road and rail, and as it continues to grow, will offer more flights, to more destinations than ever before.
