Gearing up for Christmas as 2 million fly in Nov

London Stansted is preparing for a successful festive flying season after serving nearly 2 million passengers in November.

More than 1.97 million people travelled through the terminal last month - an increase of 7.5% on the same month last year, and the second busiest November on record.

Over the past 12 months, the airport welcomed 27.7 million passengers, an increase of 24% from the previous year.

The top three busiest routes in November were Dublin, Istanbul and Rome, while the most popular countries in the month were Spain, Italy and Poland.

Operational performance during the month remained stable, with 98% of passengers passing safely through security in 15 minutes or less, with an average queue time of just over five minutes during the busiest departure peaks.

The airport is now gearing up to welcome around 875,000 passengers during the busy festive getaway period (Dec 22 – Jan 2).

The month (Dec 10) will also see the welcome return of the full four trains per hour Stansted Express service between the airport and London Liverpool Street. 

For those seeking sun and warmth during Christmas, the Canary Islands, Southern Spain, Turkey and Dubai are popular destinations.

Ski resorts in France, Italy, Austria, Switzerland, and Scandinavia are among the top choices for a more traditional Christmas experience.

For travellers looking to celebrate the new year in style, short breaks to Edinburgh, Vienna, Amsterdam, Dublin and Barcelona are also popular.

Jonathan Fowler, London Stansted’s Chief Operating Officer, said:

“The first month of the winter season once again demonstrated the strong demand that exists for flights to and from London Stansted thanks to the convenience, choice and great value the airport offers to millions of passengers.

“We expect this positive trend to continue in December and throughout the festive getaway period, when we expect to see more than 875,000 passengers pass through the terminal.

“Our operational preparations for the big getaway are fully underway and our teams working hard to ensure that all passengers receive the best possible experience when travelling through the airport, especially across the very busy festive season.

“We’re also really pleased that passengers that will benefit from the welcome return of the four trains per hour Stansted Express service to and from London from December 10.

“The restoration of the full service will provide a timely boost to the use of public transport by passengers accessing the airport, as well as making their journeys even more seamless thanks to the ‘turn up and go’ availability of trains.”