Records tumble as strong winter season rounds-off busiest ever 12-months

A record-breaking March rounded off a very strong winter season at London Stansted that resulted in the airport registering its busiest ever 12-month period.

The early Easter helped boost monthly numbers to record levels as more than 2.18 million passengers passed through the terminal, beating the previous high set in 2019 by almost 80,000.

The 12-month total to the end of March stood at 28.5 million passengers, an increase of 11.8% on the last year, and the busiest ever 12-month period in the airport’s history.

Operational performance in March remained very strong, with 100% of departing passengers passing through security in 15 minutes or less, and with an average queue time of under four minutes during the main departure peaks.

London Stansted’s extensive European route network, and simplicity and reliability of the airport’s operation, helped deliver the busiest ever winter season, with more than 10 million passengers using Stansted between November and March alone.

Winter passenger numbers were boosted by the welcome return of the full four trains per hour service on the Stansted Express in December, making it easier for visitors to the UK and Londoners alike to choose Stansted.

The top destinations in the year to March 2024 were Dublin, Istanbul and Edinburgh, with the most popular countries being Spain, Italy and Poland.

Meanwhile, the destinations showing the biggest year-on-year growth included Dubai, thanks the Emirates’ rapid return to a double-daily service, Switzerland, Iceland and Moldova.

Gareth Powell, London Stansted’s Managing Director, said:

"I’m really pleased we were able to round-off what was our busiest and most successful winter season at London Stansted with yet another record-breaking month in March, our sixth successive busiest ever passenger month.

“It's very clear our passengers really enjoy the fantastic range of destinations we are able to offer at London Stansted, plus the reliable, smooth and efficient airport operation. Supported by the hard work and dedication of colleagues right across the airport, these key drivers are allowing us to continue delivering record passenger numbers.

“I’m delighted we successfully delivered a very busy Easter getaway for hundreds of thousands of passengers, and our we are now gearing up for what we predict will be our busiest ever summer.

“In preparation to welcome millions of passengers heading away this summer, or overseas tourists choosing Stansted as their gateway to the UK, we are recruiting even more colleagues to join our teams and upgrading many facilities and services to enhance the passenger experience as demand to fly from London Stansted continues to grow at pace.”