New routes and summer schedule fuel growth at Stansted Airport
Stansted Airport is ramping up for a new rush of passengers as King Charles III is crowned on Saturday May 6.
More than 1.9 million travellers passed through the terminal in March – up 32% on the same month last year when Covid-19 restrictions were lifted for international travel.
The introduction of new routes and the start of the summer schedule with the Easter holidays cemented a strong operational performance.
Ryanair started a three-times-a-week service to Newquay in Cornwall, Norwegian airline Widerøe began twice-weekly flights to Bergen while Jet2 added the Greek and Italian capital cities of Athens and Rome to its destinations.
The 1.9m March total represents 94% of the number that used Stansted in March 2019, a year before the Covid pandemic began.
The number of passengers who passed through the airport in the year to the end of March 2023 was 25.5m, up 148% on the previous 12-month total. In March, 99% of passengers passed through security in 15 minutes or less.
Stansted's managing director Gareth Powell said: "I'm really pleased that we continue to combine the unrivalled choice of European destinations we offer passengers with a reliable, smooth and efficient experience.
"It's been great to see that strong performance continue into April, as we welcomed even more passengers over the Easter holidays, our busiest period of the year so far.
"Our preparations to meet rising passenger demand across May due to the multiple bank holidays, including the King Charles III Coronation weekend, and the peak summer season continue to go well.
"We are recruiting even more colleagues to join our teams and have kicked off a number of upgrades to enhance the passenger experience, including new seating in the arrivals area, a refurbishment of retail and food and beverage outlets plus more charging points and water fountains in the departure lounge."
