Stansted Airport eyes increased arrivals

Stansted Airport expects to complete a £40 million project to extend its arrivals capacity by 2008, an airport BAA spokesperson announced shortly after the hub overtook Manchester Airport as the UK's third largest airport.

The investment is focused on creating more belt space and more baggage space, with the aim of speeding up the process of luggage reclaim after passengers touch down on the runway.

Passenger flow is set to increase by up to ten million people passing through the airport annually if airport authorities' ambitions are realised, processing 35 million passengers a year instead of the 23.7 million the airport recorded this July.

The expansion, however, hangs on a public enquiry into whether a further runway should be added.

If further capacity is approved, the hub's ability to absorb new passengers should be optimised by the fact that visitors currently travel from across the UK to access the airport's 34 airlines, flooding in form cities such as Birmingham, connected to Stansted via the Liverpool Street rail link, as well as from the South East, London, East Anglia and the Midlands, the spokesperson added.

Posted by Graham Greenaway on the 10/09/2007 17:48:18
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