Stansted: The Potential Winner in the Battle for UK Airport Expansion
As a resident living just 1 mile north of the runway and a worker at the airport for the last 25 years, Stansted's expansion has clearly been a major part of my life in and out of work. I have followed the ups and downs of these plans avidly. There were plans back in the 1960s to make this a major multi runway airport. Similar plans re-emerged 3 decades later aiming to build a 4 runway airport with a parallel runway to the North, concreting over a huge part of the Essex countryside to the east of the airport where another two staggered parallel runways would be built.
Opposition to the Plans
Even as a lifelong aviation worker and, I admit, an aviation geek, these plans were unpalatable for several reasons. The beautiful woodland, historic buildings, and several small pretty hamlets of centuries-old cottages were to disappear under acres of concrete. In my opinion, it was going too far.
This caused an uproar, and a very vocal and well-organised opposition group called SSE Stop Stansted Expansion fought vigorously against it. It had and, I expect, still has several councillors as members. Influential people.
A New Chapter Begins
After the airport was bought by Manchester Airport Group (MAG) in 2013, following the government's 2009 order to BAA to sell STN and LGW for monopoly reasons, the Airports Commission said Stansted is not included in their plans for an extra runway in the South East by 2030.
MAG is putting plans in place to utilise the one runway we have to the max by improving the existing infrastructure to take capacity up to 40 million. Stansted will be the first airport in the UK to have separate terminals for Arrivals and Departures. Construction of a new arrivals terminal between the terminal and the Radisson hotel to the east is starting very soon.
The Need for Another Option
Having said all this, Stansted cannot take all the extra long haul flights that keep applying for Heathrow (LHR) and Gatwick (LGW) and with no extra runway on the horizon or huge new infrastructure - I’m talking about even bigger than a dedicated arrivals terminal - traffic will need another option. We also have limited aircraft parking at STN due to the volume of low-cost traffic so stand allocation is a daily juggling act. Remote stands are in the pipeline to be built but not terminal stands.
The Way Forward: Gatwick Expansion
Personally, I think LGW expansion is the way forward. It’s not an opinion with a NIMBY (Not In My Back Yard) bias. It’s based on cost, disruption to communities, and practicalities.
If the “No reconsideration until 2050” promise is kept, STN will continue to do well and attract more airlines but could never be called the winner. I am glad in a way.
Despite the current challenges, Stansted’s expansion plans and future developments, such as the new arrivals terminal and improved infrastructure, show a promising outlook. Whether it will be the ultimate winner in the battle for UK airport expansion remains to be seen, but it is clear that the current shift in focus to Gatwick presents a strong alternative.