Busiest October on record for London Stansted Airport

A busy half-term getaway helped London Stansted record its busiest ever October, with a record 2.68 million passengers passing through its terminal during the month.

High demand for family holidays and short breaks saw more than 920,000 passengers take to the skies during the half-term week alone.

The week also saw the airport record its busiest day of the year, and the second busiest day in its history, as more than 106,000 passengers chose to fly via Stansted on October 26.

The most popular countries during the month were Spain, Italy and Turkey, while Istanbul, Dublin and Edinburgh were the busiest individual destinations.

Operational performance during the month remained solid, with 99% of passengers passing safely through security in 15 minutes or less, and with an average queue time of three minutes, 30 seconds during the main departure peaks.

The security search area now operates with the latest technology scanners allowing all passengers to leave large electrical items and liquids bags in their hand baggage.

The monthly total means that the number of passengers using London Stansted in the 12-months to the end of October stands at 29.99 million, up 1.9% on the previous year.

Gareth Powell, London Stansted’s managing director, said: “The half-term holidays are always a very busy period at the airport, and this year was no exception as we welcomed even more passengers than ever before.

“To deliver a smooth and consistent airport experience for record-breaking numbers of passengers takes hard work and dedication from all our colleagues, and I’m proud to say we are achieving this aim on a regular basis.

Picture by Toby Shepheard / Parsons Media.

“Our plans to transform the airport continue to make good progress with work underway to widen the barrier line to the security search area, which will provide will involve more gates as well as an even smoother experience for fast track and assisted travel passengers.

“The security hall also now operates with the latest technology scanners, which will not only improve capacity but also means passengers can leave large electrical items and liquids in their hand baggage, helping to reduce delays and queues by avoiding the need to unpack these items.”