Stansted Airport posts strongest passenger figures since pandemic

Stansted Airport said it was pleased by the passenger trend

London Stansted Airport has posted its strongest passenger figures since the start of the pandemic.

The Essex terminal said 1.83 million passengers passed through its gates in November, which was 3% short of the number in November 2019.

It saw 22.3 million people over the last 12 months, which was an increase of 247% on 2021.

"We're delighted with the continuation of the strong traffic trends," said commercial director Ciaron Brannigan.

"With a busy festive season soon to be upon us, we expect to see passenger demand at the airport remain very strong over the period."

Stansted Airport hopes its expansion will increase passenger numbers to 43 million a year

Stansted claimed the recovery was "underpinned" by its new routes from Ryanair, including to Catania in Italy, Asturias in Spain and Klagenfurt in Austria.

The airport saw passenger numbers drop dramatically during the pandemic, serving 7.5 million during 2020, compared with 28 million the previous year.

It has permission from the government's Planning Inspectorate to increase passenger capacity to 43 million per year.