Stansted Airport started life in 1942 as a USAAF bomber base during world war two. During the package holiday explosion in the 60s, Stansted grew to become known as London's third major airport. The airport's future became uncertain shortly after this, as the huge number of complaints and protestations about the possible development of the airport led to plans for its growth being scrapped by the government.
This all changed when a world oil crisis occurred and other airport options became too expensive. The increasing demand amongst the holidaymaking British public led to a turnaround in government policy and the development was given the go-ahead. This growth led to it being bought out by the British Airports Authority, who developed the terminal in 1969 and extended it in 1972.
In 1984 Stansted Airport gained approval for expansion to accommodate a larger number of passengers, and then in 1986, work began on the main terminal that stands today. This new terminal was opened in 1991, and Stansted won awards for the building. Since then, Stansted has gone from strength to strength and is now known as the UK's fourth major airport, and the British home of the budget airline.
In 2000–2002, work kicked off on Phase 2 of the airport’s big expansion, with planning approval to boost capacity to 25 million passengers a year.
By 2007–2008, Stansted was hitting new heights. The summer of 2007 was its busiest yet, with 2.5 million passengers passing through in August alone. A £40 million project extended the main terminal, and the shiny new arrivals extension opened just in time for Christmas 2008.
In 2010, the airport got the green light to welcome Code F giants like the Airbus A380 and Boeing 747-8 — a big step up for Stansted.
2011 marked a milestone: 20 years since the iconic Norman Foster–designed terminal opened its doors.
Then in 2013, Manchester Airports Group (MAG) swooped in and bought Stansted for £1.5 billion. They wasted no time, announcing an £80 million redevelopment to overhaul security and double seating capacity.
Fast forward to 2017, and Stansted welcomed Jet2.com’s southern base and Antonov Airlines’ major UK cargo office. A year later, in 2018, the airport celebrated its first direct long-haul flights — with Emirates flying to Dubai and Primera heading stateside. Permission was also granted to raise capacity again, this time up to 43 million passengers.
The 2020–2022 period brought challenges with COVID-19 cutting passenger numbers to just 7.5 million in 2020 (from nearly 28 million before the pandemic). Still, cargo operations surged, and Stansted adapted quickly with new travel guidelines. By the end of 2022, passenger levels had bounced back to around 97% of pre-pandemic volumes.
In 2023, Stansted unveiled an ambitious £1.1 billion expansion plan, including a huge terminal extension and a new Sustainable Development Plan to prepare for handling up to 51 million passengers a year.
And by 2024–2025, the airport was breaking records again, with close to 30 million annual passengers. Terminal upgrades rolled out at pace, new routes and airlines joined the lineup, and Stansted continued to push forward with both expansion and sustainability — setting the stage for even bigger growth in the years ahead.
