Stansted has not given up on its expansion plans. Quite the contrary: the management ofLondon airport presented the 3 July a new project. The previous project, drawn up in 2016 with the ambition of a reality in 2020had been put on hold for lack of timely validation, and then because of the health crisis.
The London airport's ambition is to gain space at the rear of the terminal building, thus offering a more attractive environment. a larger boarding lounge. The future capacity of the hub has not yet been specified, but Stansted has welcomed more than 26 million passengers in the last 12 months. And its management believes that pre-pandemic volumes will be reached again over the coming year. " The speed with which Stansted has recovered from the pandemic shows the importance of our airport in the British aviation system."says Gareth Powell, Managing Director of London Stansted.
In addition to a revamped shopping and restaurant offer, the airport's transformation will also involve smoothing the passenger journey. " This will also enable us to incorporate the changes made to the safety rules, in particular the introduction of new security scannersand the latest check-in technology. We will improve the airport experience throughout the passenger journey, from check-in to immigration on arrival."Gareth Powell predicts.
Increasing Stansted's economic contribution to £2 billion a year
To ensure that the local authorities will support and validate this project, Stansted's management is already promising substantial economic benefits. " The terminal extension is an important part of our plans to make the best use of existing capacity at Stansted, which will also create 5,000 new jobs and doubling the airport's economic contribution to bring it to 2 billion pounds a yearThis is an exciting prospect for our passengers, our airlines, our colleagues and the economic success of the region we serve."says Gareth Powell.
This project is part of a drive to renew London's airports. Stansted had already carried out the modernisation of its departure lounge last summer, with an investment of 12 million pounds sterling. And At the end of June, London Gatwick made it official the start of work on renovation of the North Terminal. The investment was also substantial: over £10 million.
