Airport Guide

History of Stansted Airport

London Stansted is the third busiest airport in the United Kingdom - just ahead of Manchester but trailing behind Heathrow and Gatwick. However, plans have been unveiled which would see the building of a second runway and also a second terminal. This would double the airport's size. If approved, the new runway and terminal would be built by 2015, and it is predicted that around 68 million passengers a year could be served by 2030. Should this happen, the airport will have come a long way since 1942, when it started life as a USAAF bomber base during World War II. The current terminal was designed by Foster Associates and was opened in 1991. It has won praise for its floating roof design, and houses a bureau de change, a left luggage service, and numerous shops and restaurants.

Travelling to Stansted Airport

The airport terminal is located close to the village of Stansted Mountfitchet, just two miles outside of Bishop's Stortford and six miles from Harlow in Essex. It is handily close to the new A120, and is also near to the M11. What's more, the parking facilities are plentiful, ensuring that the airport is extremely accessible by car. It is also well served by rail - a Stansted Express service runs regularly from Liverpool Street Station in London, and the station is directly below the airport terminal. Trains to Cambridge, Leicester and the Midlands are also operated every 60 minutes by CrossCountry. Additionally, buses are a popular way of getting to the airport, and services run to and from Stratford, Victoria Coach Station, Liverpool Street Station and Golders Green. It is also possible to get to Stansted by coach from Oxford and Cambridge.

Major airlines flying out of Stansted Airport

Stansted is known as the British home of low cost airlines, and planes fly from the location to over 160 destinations covering 35 countries across the world. Most notably, Ryanair and easyJet offer cheap flights from the Essex hub. Ryanair flies to numerous locations from Stansted, ranging from Aarhus to Zaragoza and taking in Genoa, Salzburg and Valencia on the way. easyJet, meanwhile, offers services to cities including Naples, Newcastle and Nice. Other notable operators offering airline tickets at Stansted are Air Berlin, Air Malta and Wizz Air.

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Another article in this series is on London Heathrow Airport or you could use our search for more help