Stansted opens terminal extension

Stansted airport has opened the first phase of a new terminal extension as part of a £50 million investment in new passenger facilities.

The new extension adds almost 6,000 square metres of space for passengers arriving at the airport. New facilities include a sixth baggage reclaim belt and more desk space at immigration control.

By December this year new shops, more comfortable waiting areas for friends and relatives, and new transport facilities for people travelling on by bus, coach, train or taxi will also be opened at the new terminal extension.

Stansted’s new terminal extension will be carbon neutral as it uses a new biomass heating boiler, which is one of the largest seen in the UK. The terminal also features low-emission lighting.

“At peak times we can expect over 3,300 arriving passengers an hour through the terminal, so this new extension is all about us continuing to provide the best possible facilities for passengers,” says Stansted airport strategy director, Nick Barton.

“This means meeting the travel demands of today as well as planning ahead for passenger growth in the future which is forecast to see numbers rise to 35 million a year by 2015,” Barton adds.

Construction of the new terminal extension at Stansted began in April last year. The airport now handles about 23.5 million passengers a year. This is expected to increase to 26.6 million by 2012, 33 million by 2015 and 38 million by 2016.

Written by: Nick Purdom