In October 2024, London Stansted Airport recorded its highest number of passengers in one day. The 27th of October saw the airport bring in a total of 107,000 passengers. This is the fourth time Stansted broke its daily passenger record in 2024, with the previous record being 104,700 on the 23rd of August 2024. This October was also the busiest month for the airport, bringing in 2.6 million passengers. Of those, 99% passed through security within 15 minutes or less, with the average queue time being 2 minutes during peak departure hours.
How was the record set?
There are several reasons behind Stansted Airport breaking its daily and monthly passenger records. One of the biggest ones is the fact that Ryanair is based at the airport. Ryanair is one of the cheapest airlines in the world and is the first choice for many budget fliers. Its average number of daily flights from Stansted Airport is 358, which is higher than every other airport in the UK.
Additionally, Stansted announced in October 2024 that it is working on a large £1.1 billion project to improve the airport and its facilities. Of this, £600 million will be used to improve the airport’s existing terminal by providing more space and seating, as well as concessions. The money will also fund a larger security hall with next-generation equipment. A solar farm capable of producing 14.3 MW of energy will be built to power the airport. Other improvements set to be made include more seating at terminals and gates, upgraded flooring, a new bar, refurbished toilets and an upgraded airfield taxiway. Construction is set to begin in 2025 and is expected to take 2-3 years to complete.
What other records have Stansted Airport set?
Alongside breaking its highest daily passenger record 4 times in one year, the airport has also broken other records. Its busiest month ever was August 2024, serving 3.06 million passengers. Its busiest summer was also in 2024, serving 8.8 million passengers during the season. The most visited countries during the summer were Turkey, the Canary Islands, Spain and Portugal. The airport also saw its busiest-ever June in 2024, serving a total of 2.8 million passengers.
Stansted Airport has had an extremely busy year in 2024 and is expected to be even busier in the years to come.
What are your thoughts on the records broken by Stansted Airport?
