London can be a tough place to serve for airlines, with slots at airports at a premium. However, Emirates has made one airport work rather well – London Stansted.
To the point where they have carried their 2 millionth passenger through the airport.
To mark the occasion, one lucky customer on EK66, Jeanne Fostel, received an upgrade to Business Class and an Emirates Skywards Gold membership, providing access to a range of premium travel benefits including complimentary lounge access, additional baggage allowance, complimentary seat selection and bonus Skywards Miles.
Eleven additional passengers on the same flight were also upgraded to Emirates Skywards Silver membership, unlocking benefits including complimentary Business Class Lounge access in Dubai, extra baggage allowance and bonus Skywards Miles.
Over the past eight years, London Stansted has become an important gateway within Emirates’ UK network, connecting customers from London and the surrounding regions of Essex, Hertfordshire, Cambridge, and East Anglia with Dubai. That’s an important thing to note – given that not everyone wants to travel around the M25 or through London to access Heathrow or Gatwick.
As usual, a link to Dubai means passengers can connect onward with Emirates’ global network. For the airline, 70% transfer to other destinations with popular endpoints including India, Australia, Thailand, and Mauritius. The remaining 30% of passengers are ending their journey in Dubai.
Growing the service
Emirates initially started operating with a daily flight in 2018. This scaled to twice-daily to offer more capacity and choice of timings for passengers.
Today, Emirates operates its two daily services between London Stansted and Dubai using its four-class Boeing 777-300ER aircraft, offering First Class, Business Class, Premium Economy, and Economy Class cabins. Supporting passenger choice at Stansted, Emirates introduced Premium Economy seating, as well as its dedicated 900-square-meter lounge in 2024. The lounge can accommodate up to 125 guests, including First and Business Class customers, as well as Emirates Skywards members.
In addition to belly hold in Emirates’ passenger aircraft, the airline also operates a weekly freighter out of Stansted, further contributing to the route’s success. Emirates SkyCargo transports around 25,000 tonnes of cargo in and out of London Stansted each year, including pharmaceuticals, high-value goods, medical equipment, and industrial machinery.
In Quotes
Jabr Al-Azeeby, Emirates’ divisional vice president, UK, said:
“Welcoming our two millionth passenger at London Stansted is a significant milestone for the UK market, and reflects the sustained demand for our services since we launched operations to Stansted in 2018.
Stansted provides convenient access to Emirates’ global network for both leisure and business travellers, while our cargo operations also support businesses and industries across the region with greater export options to the rest of the world.
We thank London Stansted airport for the valued partnership, and look forward to welcoming many more travellers onboard in the years ahead.”
Gareth Powell, London Stansted’s Managing Director, said:
“Celebrating two million passengers flying with Emirates through London Stansted is a fantastic milestone and underlines the strength of our partnership and the huge demand for direct international connectivity from across the East of England and London.
“Since launching in 2018, Emirates has opened up a world of opportunities for leisure travellers and businesses alike, connecting our region directly to Dubai and, through its extensive global network, destinations across the Middle East, Asia, Africa and beyond.
“The opening of Emirates’ world-class lounge in 2024 further strengthened the passenger experience and demonstrated the airline’s commitment to the airport and the region
“We’re incredibly proud of the success of our strong and growing relationship and look forward to welcoming millions more Emirates passengers through London Stansted in the years ahead.”
Beyond the London bubble.
There is a lot of life beyond London (as this blog has tried to hammer home many times), with the trek to Heathrow being sometimes an unwanted part of the travel experience. For Emirates passengers, it opens up East Anglia and beyond with comparative ease of access (with the core markets of Essex, Cambridgeshire, Suffolk and Hertfordshire), whilst at the same time, offering access to Dubai and the rest of the airline’s network through that hub.
For Emirates, it’s two pairs of slots it doesn’t have to fight for at London Heathrow, with the lower costs of operating from Stansted Airport. And there’s clearly the premium traffic to support it – rather than sending a two- or three-class aircraft, the airline has gone fully in with four-class aircraft as well as the cargo supporting business in both the UK and beyond.
For now, onwards and upwards is the phrase that applies here.
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