London Stansted Airport is expecting to play a key role in meeting the UK air traffic demand over the next 10-15 years, and has sought public opinion and ideas to improve services and facilities.
The move comes as Stansted emerges to be one of the fastest growing airports in London following a 7.2 per cent increase in passenger numbers in the last 12 months. More than two million passengers were handled in August 2014, up 11.6 percent on last year, helping boost the annual number of travellers using Stansted to more than 18.9 million.
Managing director, Andrew Harrison, said: ‘It’s great to see the airport so busy again this summer, thanks to the new routes and increased frequencies offered by our airline partners.
‘Over the last year, Stansted has been the fastest growing airport in London with passenger numbers increasing by over 7% a year, reinforcing our view that Stansted’s existing capacity will make a vital contribution to meeting the demand for air travel over the next 10-15 years.’
According to Harrison, the gateway has the ability to double its current passenger throughout and serve 40-45 million a year on the existing runway.
‘To keep pace with this growth and plan for the future we are investing GBP260 million to transform passenger services and facilities, and just this month we have launched a consultation on how we can develop Stansted and make effective use of the existing capacity on the airport’s single runway.
‘Stansted’s potential for sustainable, responsible and cost-effective growth will be of enormous value as the UK looks to increase global connectivity over the next 10-15 years. We want to hear from all those with an interest in how Stansted grows so I would encourage as many people as possible to share their views and ideas during this process,’ he added.
