Stansted's 'dramatic' growth fired by low-cost flights

Despite becoming the UK's third-largest airport over the last decade, Stansted still has room to grow, according to the Airport Operators Association (AOA).

Fuelled by the growing popularity of "low-cost, short haul travel", the travel hub has "grown dramatically over the last ten years", commented an AOA spokesperson, but it is still restricted to just one runway to service travellers' needs.

A planning enquiry is currently under way to determine whether the airport will be permitted to add an extra runway or terminal, as recommended in a government white paper, in light of an environmental limit "imposed … when it was originally constructed", the spokesperson explained.

If the Stansted expansion were blocked, the alternative would be the construction of another airport to handle rising demand, the AOA predicts.

"The demand is at Stansted and it's the most efficient place to put it," with the infrastructure already in place, the spokesperson remarked, admitting that rail links will need improvement to make them as efficient as those to Heathrow or Gatwick Airport.

In line with its 'budget getaway' profile, the single most popular destination for passengers using the "premier hub for low cost aviation in the UK" is Spain.