DALLAS — London Stansted Airport (STN), the city region's third largest airport, started the summer with a bang by posting record levels of passenger and cargo traffic moving through the facility in April.

According to an airport release, nearly 2.5 million passengers used STN last month, 90,000 more than the previous record set in 2019, a 5.5% increase.

For the 12 months ending in April, STN handled 28.64 million passengers, a 10.8% increase over the previous year. The airport’s cargo operation also saw a record-breaking month, with more than 27,000 tons of freight passing through in April.

According to STN, operational performance in April remained strong, with 98% of departing passengers passing through security in 15 minutes or less. However, the average queue time during prominent departure peaks was only three minutes.

Airport Management Comments

Gareth Powell, London Stansted’s managing director, said, "April was another very strong month, with both passenger and cargo numbers hitting new highs, thanks to our extensive passenger route network, the efficiency and simplicity of the airport’s operation, and the global connectivity provided by our cargo carriers. The Easter holidays at the start of the month were hectic.

“In addition to our passenger services, the record volumes of freight passing through Stansted is yet another indication of the airport's vital role in supporting the economic success of the region we serve.

“Looking ahead, later this month, we have the half-term holidays, so we are now fully focused on maintaining our operational performance as we prepare to welcome the hundreds of thousands of people heading away, plus the large number of overseas visitors choosing London Stansted."

Harriet Fear MBE, Director at Cambridge, said, “London Stansted is widely recognized as being crucially important to the economic success of the East of England through its extensive and growing passenger operation. The record-breaking freight figures demonstrate that it also plays a key role in the movement of goods and products across the world.”

“With Stansted on Cambridge’s doorstep, businesses in the Greater Cambridge ecosystem are able to quickly and conveniently connect to markets across Europe and the Middle East directly for passenger travel and from a freight perspective also to the US and Asia, meaning truly global connectivity.”