Stansted Airport has submitted a planning application for an expansion of its existing terminal building.
The proposed scheme, which if approved will see a three-bay extension to the back of the terminal building, is designed to transform the airport experience.
According to the airport, it will provide a more spacious departure lounge for passengers, including new shops, bars and restaurants, state-of-the-art check-in equipment, increased baggage system capacity and an enlarged security hall with additional space for more security lanes fitted with next-generation scanners.
The extension will enable the airport to improve its capacity at busy times and cater for more passengers in the years ahead.
The airport has been busy, with the airport serving more than 26 million passengers in the last 12 months, with it expecting to pass pre-pandemic passenger levels during the coming year and is set for its busiest summer season on record.
The scheme is the result of extensive analysis of the options for adding terminal capacity, and the proposals represent the most efficient and timely way to improve all elements of the passenger journey through the airport, while also providing the extra space required to accommodate forecast growth.
Gareth Powell, London Stansted’s Managing Director, said:
“Our plan to invest in new facilities is great news for our customers, partners, and the region because it will provide additional terminal capacity and a better passenger experience for everyone travelling through London Stansted Airport.
“We have used the last few years to conduct a thorough review of the options for the next phase of investment, and it’s clear that extending the terminal is the best way of delivering improved service and new capacity.
“Our proposal will create a much more spacious and relaxing terminal environment providing space where and when it’s needed, and giving passengers even more choice when it comes to dining and shopping.
“It will also allow us to incorporate changes to security regulations, including the introduction of new security scanners, and the very latest check-in technology.
“All in all, we will be improving the airport experience throughout the entire passenger journey, from check-in on departure to immigration on arrival.
“The speed with which we’ve seen Stansted bounce back after the pandemic shows how important our airport is in the UK’s aviation system.
“The investment we plan to make will enhance facilities for all our airlines, from short-haul low-cost to long-haul full-service carriers, enabling us to continue playing an essential role serving passengers across London and the East of England and offering the best possible choice of destinations during this next phase of our development.
“The terminal extension is an important part of our plans for making best use of Stansted’s existing capacity, which will also deliver 5,000 new jobs and see the airport’s economic contribution double to £2 billion annually, so this really is an exciting prospect for our passengers, airlines, colleagues and the economic success of the region we serve.”
Let’s see how this goes down…
The last scheme announced in 2016 ended in a planning quagmire and legal arguments, which was due to add an arrivals hall. with other facilities. This time, they’ve gone to set up an expansion of the current facility to add square footage to the terminal.
That should hopefully meet with better approval from the councils -= although they do seem to enjoy picking fights
We’ll have to see how the campaign groups, along with the council decide to raise new objections and if it will meet the ongoing demands of growth the airport and airlines meets.
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