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This London airport has bounced back from the pandemic faster than any other UK air hub

Stansted had its busiest July ever this summer, beating the figure for the same period in 2019

Liv Kelly
Written by
Liv Kelly
Contributing Writer
Stansted Airport, London
Photograph: Svet foto / Shutterstock.com
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As the world continues to recover from the halt on travel caused by the pandemic, airports are gradually seeing a strong return in passenger numbers. But no air hub in the UK has recovered quite so rapidly as London Stansted.

Stansted Airport has apparently just experienced its busiest ever July, having been used by a total of 2.81 million passengers. And that isn’t all: Stansted also saw its third-busiest month ever. In the airport’s history, only August 2018 and August 2019 were busier. 

The airport’s managing director Gareth Powell told City AM: ‘People are choosing to fly from London Stansted in record numbers thanks to the great value and choice we offer, and we are confident this trend will continue across the remainder of the summer.’

Stansted is the UK’s number one airport for direct flights to EuropeSpain, Italy and Turkey were apparently the most popular destinations last month. 

But those record-breaking stats don’t appear to have dented Stansted’s performance. A whopping 97 percent of passengers apparently breeze through security in 15 minutes or less at Stansted, a very speedy service which greatly contrasts with the delays facing passengers at other London airports like Gatwick

And soon Stansted will have the potential to handle even more passengers. An extension proposal was announced last month with plans for major upgrades to the existing terminal building that aim to increase efficiency and capacity. 

Keen to avoid the headache of long queues and an age-long wait in line for security? Stansted may not just get you where you need to go: it could save you a load of hassle, too.

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