Why does Stansted Airport keep coming up trumps for presidents?

Donald Trump became the latest president to use London Stansted Airport for his visit to the UK

The Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu once said, "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step".

For many presidents of the United States, certainly on English soil, that first step is taken at London Stansted Airport.

Donald Trump, Joe Biden and Barack Obama have all touched down in Essex since it became the White House's runway of choice.

But why Stansted - and what is it like to be there with the world watching?

Better known for budget flights to Europe, an observer would be forgiven if they felt confused to see Trump at Stansted on a Tuesday.

But there are reasons why the airfield keeps coming up trumps for the US, rooted in security and convenience.

Trump's latest arrival marked the ninth visit of Air Force One to Stansted, which first hosted the aircraft and then-President Barack Obama in 2009.

"With a presidential visit, it's such a big circus when it comes to town - it's an enormous logistics exercise," says Prof Graham Braithwaite, director of aerospace and aviation at Cranfield University.

"It's not just the presidential aircraft, it's everything that comes with it."

Air Force One and the accompanying Marine One helicopter are afforded the luxury of using a VIP hangar near Harrods Aviation, tucked in an isolated area away from the terminal building.

This specially designed layout means a huge operation can be accommodated by the airport without grounding all flights to a halt.

And on Tuesday, about 100 journalists and photographers from across the globe were there to capture the moment as support aircraft, helicopters and ground vehicles accompanied Air Force One.

Welcoming a US president requires a huge security operation...

...and eyes are required everywhere

"It's also close to the big US airbases, so they have personnel close by should they need them," adds Prof Braithwaite, referring to RAF Lakenheath and RAF Mildenhall in Suffolk.

And the M11 motorway runs next to the airport, giving a presidential motorcade swift access for a 39-mile (62.7km) ride to central London.

Even the crew of Air Force One are said to have enjoyed the convenience on their latest trip.

They soaked up some of the history a short drive away at the Imperial War Museum at Duxford, in Cambridgeshire, on Wednesday, the BBC has been told.

Joe Biden boarded Marine One shortly after touching down at Stansted in July 2023

Other famous guests at Stansted over the past year have included Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Taylor Swift and the England men's football team.

Staff at the airport have become renowned for their experience in dealing with complex and high-security flights as a result.

They have also been involved in real-life hijack incidents, perhaps most famously in February 2000, when four days passed before more than 150 hostages were released.

England captain Harry Kane led his side's arrival at Stansted just hours after they lost the Euro 2024 final in Germany

The presidential visits

• Trump, June 2025: Second state visit to the UK

• Biden, July 2023: Met with then-Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and King Charles III

• Biden, September 2022: Attending the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II

• Trump, December 2019: Attending a NATO summit

• Trump, June 2019: State visit to the UK

• Trump, June 2018: For his first official visit to the UK as president

• Obama, April 2016: Met with Queen Elizabeth II and Prime Minister David Cameron as part of a trip to Saudi Arabia

• Obama, May 2011: State visit to the UK

• Obama, March 2009: Attending the G20 summit in London

The full list of presidential visits to the UK is published here.

"Logistically, Stansted really works because of the space they have away from the terminal building," Prof Braithwaite says.

"A presidential visit is so unusual and different that you'd want it to be smooth, and they do it well at Stansted."

Rishi Sunak and Volodymyr Zelenskyy embraced on the runway at Stansted in February 2023

Gareth Powell, the airport's managing director, said it was an honour to welcome the US president again.

"The visit highlights London Stansted's capability to manage complex, high-profile operations alongside its everyday passenger services, cementing its role as one of the UK's leading airports," he added.

What is it like to cover a state visit?

BBC Essex journalist Richard Smith reported live from the runway as Trump landed for his state visit in June 2019.

"The leader of the free world arriving in your patch is a big deal," he explained.

The president's flight into Stansted had only been confirmed days before, and Smith said he was unsure what to expect from the experience.

A security officer had to retrieve a hat from the runway due to the strong winds that day

He added: "The risk with live coverage is sometimes very little - or nothing - can happen.

"I was placed at the front of a fenced-off area holding about 50 photographers and journalists from the world's media, all there to see the doors open and the president and first lady walk out.

"There was a man with a trundle wheel measuring out exactly to the inch where Air Force One should park in front of the waiting reporters.

"It took Trump 15 minutes to exit the plane after touchdown, which felt like an eternity at the time.

"Trump walked down the stairs, boarded a military helicopter and headed straight to London. And just like that, the president of the United States of America had come and gone."

Trump waved to reporters as he walked along the tarmac