Record November passenger total for Stansted Airport

Martin Jones, commercial director at Stansted Airport. Picture: Stansted Airport (Image: Archant)

More than 1.8m passengers travelled through Stansted last month, nearly 83,000 or 5% more than November last year, with the figure helped by Jet2.com’s launch of new winter routes.

The annual passenger total for the 12 months to the end of November was 7.2% higher year-on-year, at 25.6m.

November also saw significant growth in cargo tonnage at Stansted, with a 12.5% increase to almost 26,000 tonnes, leaving the rolling annual total 4.6% higher at 263,000 tonnes.

Last month also saw the start of construction work on a new £11m college at Stansted, a joint venture between the airport and Harlow College and supported by funding from Essex county and Uttlesford district councils and the South East Local Enterprise Partnership, which is intended to help meet the skills needs of the airport and the 200-plus other companies based there.

Martin Jones, commercial director, said: “This is the busiest November on record and a strong start to Stansted’s winter flying schedule. Numbers of passengers have been boosted by the success of the first winter sun and ski flights from Jet2.com, and we’ve also had an impressive increase in cargo tonnage passing through the airport.

“With the construction of our new aviation skills college underway, and the start of enabling works for the first stages of a terminal transformation project to increase check in desks and improve passenger experience, these are exciting times.

“Thanks to the continued increase in passenger numbers and new route announcements including new low-cost transatlantic flights from Primera Air and WOW Air from 2018, we anticipate this growth will continue into the new year and beyond.”