Ed Richardson: London needs investment at Stansted to keep growing and competing globally
We're delighted to launch our new guest blog series, where we hear from different organisations about the importance of international connectivity.
First up is Edward Richardson, Programme Director, Transport at BusinessLDN who reflects on the powerful role London Stansted has to play providing easy and convenient access to the world for the capital.
As the capital of an island trading nation, London’s success has always been built on its ability to connect with the rest of the world. For businesses, investors, visitors and workers, our international connectivity is not a luxury – it is a fundamental part of what makes London one of the world’s leading cities.
Aviation is central to that success. It enables trade and tourism, connects businesses with customers and markets, and opens up opportunities for Londoners to work and build careers in a diverse and growing sector.
That is why new investment at London Stansted matters.
Today, Stansted welcomes more than 30 million passengers a year and connects London and the wider UK to more than 200 destinations. It offers the largest number of direct European routes of any UK airport and handles more than £12 billion of trade value each year.
For London businesses, that connectivity matters. Whether it is a company looking to reach customers in Europe, an international visitor coming to the capital, or a business relying on global supply chains, the ability to move people and goods efficiently is an important part of our economic infrastructure.
Which is why it’s positive that Stansted is investing for the future.
BusinessLDN’s recent Pathway to Delivery: Expanding London’s Global Connections, produced with Arcadis, highlights the scale of the opportunity when it comes to improving the UK’s international links. Across London’s major global gateways, more than £53.5 billion of private investment is in the pipeline, including £1.1 billion at London Stansted.
At Stansted, that investment is focused on expanding its existing terminal by 40%, improving passenger facilities and making better use of the airport’s existing runway. Planning permission has also been granted to increase the airport’s passenger capacity from 43 million to 51 million a year by 2040, without increasing the number of flights the airport is permitted to operate.
This is about more than passengers. It is about jobs, skills, investment and opportunity.
Stansted is already the largest single-site employer in the East of England, with more than 12,000 people working across around 200 businesses on the airport campus. And its role in developing the next generation of talent is equally important.
Stansted Airport College has trained more than 2,500 students since opening in 2018, offering specialist courses in aviation, engineering, aircraft maintenance, logistics, travel and tourism. Its students include young people travelling from across the wider London and Essex area to access specialist training and a direct pathway into the aviation industry.
The college is now looking to expand significantly, with plans to increase capacity from 568 to around 1,350 students. That is a powerful example of how investment in aviation infrastructure can also be an investment in people and skills.
For London, the message is clear: if we want a capital that continues to trade, attract investment, welcome visitors and compete internationally, we need the infrastructure to connect it to the world.
Stansted is an important part of that infrastructure. Its investment plans offer an opportunity to strengthen London’s connectivity while creating jobs, developing skills and supporting growth across the capital and the wider region.
The task now is to make sure that the policy, planning, skills and transport connections are in place to turn that investment ambition into reality.
London’s future growth will depend on many things. But one of them is certain: we cannot afford to take our global connections for granted.