25 million passengers in the last year as recovery continues
· 1.7 million passengers passed through airport in February 2023
· Monthly traffic up 49% on same month last year
· Four Stansted Express trains per hour to return in peaks from May 2023
London Stansted welcomed more than 1.7 million passengers in February 2023, up 49% on the same month last year, when Covid-19 testing requirements began to ease for travellers.
The monthly total was equivalent to 92% of the passengers passing through the airport in February 2019, prior to the impacts of the pandemic.
The number of passengers using London Stansted in the 12-months ending February 2023 totalled 25 million, up 183% on the previous year.
Stansted has connections to more European destinations that any other UK airport, and this was reflected in the most popular places flown to during the month.
The top five destinations in February were:
1. Dublin
2. Istanbul
3. Rome
4. Edinburgh
5. Bergamo (Milan)
Meanwhile, Emirates’ service to Dubai, which will operate twice a day from 1st May, continues to be very popular, with thousands of people flying to the Middle East hub during February to visit the UAE or access the airline’s global network of 150 onward destinations.
Also, London Stansted marked the 10th anniversary during the month of the airport’s acquisition by MAG, a period that saw more than 200 million passengers travelled through Stansted on 1.3 million flights served by 85 airlines to 299 destinations in 52 countries.
Nick Millar, London Stansted’s Operations Director, said:
“February was another strong month for passenger growth at London Stansted as we welcomed more than 1.7 million passengers to the airport. As a result, we have now served more than 25 million passengers in the last year, a clear indication of the airport’s excellent bounce-back following the easing of travel restrictions 12 months ago.
“It was also another good month operationally, especially during the busy half-term period, with 99% of departing passengers passing through security in 15 minutes or less.
“Our airport-wide recruitment campaign continues to go well, while operational preparations are well underway as we look ahead to the next busy period at Easter.
“We are also very pleased we will see more Stansted Express trains running in the peaks from May, but we continue to make the case for the urgent return of the full service to support increased demand from passengers, staff and local commuters.”