London Stansted’s new long haul routes drive growth
- New Stansted routes to New York, Toronto and Boston contribute to 9.2% year on year growth.
- Growth comes ahead of Emirates starting operations from London Stansted on 8 June
- New long haul routes for Manchester announced this month – continued development as global gateway for the North.
- Government announced support for airports making best use of existing runway capacity – an endorsement for growth at MAG airports.
Passengers
|
|
Manchester |
London Stansted |
East Midlands |
MAG |
|
Rolling 12 month total |
27,820,567 |
26,530,977 |
4,866,076 |
59,217,620* |
|
May 2018 total |
2,492,129 |
2,518,870 |
516,582 |
5,527,581 |
|
May 2018 % change year on year |
-0.7% |
+9.2% |
+2.6% |
+3.9%* |
Cargo
|
|
Manchester |
London Stansted |
East Midlands |
|
May 2018 tonnes |
10,269 |
21,076 |
30,791 |
|
May 2018 % change year on year |
-2.6% |
-7.2% |
+3.4% |
*excludes figures for Bournemouth Airport, which was sold to RCA in December 2017.
London Stansted Airport saw passenger traffic rise sharply again in May, as new transatlantic routes contributed to 9.2% year-on-year growth. May saw the first full month of operation from Stansted to New York, Toronto and Boston on Primera Air’s new A321neo aircraft, as well as WOW air’s new link to Reykjavik.
The airport expects June to be even busier, following the start of Emirates’ daily Boeing 777-300ER service to Dubai, which saw its inaugural flight on 8th June. This is the first time that Stansted has had a direct link to a Middle Eastern hub airport and will open up over 100 new route options for passengers in the East of England wishing to travel to the Middle East, Asia and Australasia.
We know that we have even more potential, not only as an economic driver for the region but also by providing greater international connectivity to UK plc.
Manchester Airport’s traffic was flat year on year (-0.7%). Growth is expected to return to Manchester during the busy summer season, as other airlines fill slots vacated by Monarch Airlines, which ceased trading in October 2017. The airport announced two new major long haul routes in May, with Addis Ababa (Ethiopian Airlines) and Mumbai (Jet Airways) being another two additions to Manchester’s significant long-haul portfolio, by far the biggest in the UK outside of London.
East Midlands Airport grew 2.6% year on year to handle 517,000 passengers in May as new summer links to Seville and Egypt proved popular.
Together, the figures mean the UK’s largest airport group grew 3.9% in May to serve 5.5m passengers, its busiest May ever and gearing it up for its busiest summer season ever, both in long haul and short haul.
Last week, alongside confirming support for the development of a third runway at Heathrow, the Government confirmed, in a statement to Parliament, its support for other UK airports looking to make best use of existing runway capacity. MAG airports, with their spare runway capacity, will play a vital role in supporting aviation growth in the UK in the period before any new runway in opened.
Ken O’Toole, CEO, London Stansted Airport said:
“London Stansted continues to go from strength to strength, and our busiest ever May and the exciting arrival of one of the world’s truly global airlines in Emirates, is further evidence of our ambition to attract more airlines and play a key role in delivering the expected growth in the London market over the next decade.
“Last week the Government announced its support for UK airports looking to make best use of existing runway capacity. This support is a very welcome as it’s vital for the economy that the country has the best possible international connections and that there is an urgent need to actively support airports, like London Stansted, that can deliver that access now.”
“We know that we have even more potential, not only as an economic driver for the region but also by providing greater international connectivity to UK plc.”