London Stansted Airport has unveiled its draft Sustainable Development Plan, aiming for significant growth over the next two decades while operating with a single runway. The airport recently marked a record for its busiest day, indicating a post-pandemic recovery trend. Despite having only one runway, the facility is confident in its ability to expand.
The plan outlines a strategy to increase passenger numbers from the current 28 million annually to between 48 and 51 million by the 2040s. Gareth Powell, Managing Director of Stansted, expressed optimism about this growth: "We want to continue to build on this success, growing the nearly 30 million passengers we welcomed this last year."
Stansted's approach emphasizes sustainability, aspiring for half of all journeys to and from the airport to be made using public transport. This aligns with their commitment to growing within existing airfield limits while exceeding previous forecasts through larger aircraft usage without surpassing movement caps.