Flying start to summer getaway as London Stansted records busiest ever July

The start of the peak summer holiday getaway helped London Stansted record its busiest ever July as 2.9 million passengers passed through the terminal. The monthly passenger total was an increase of 3.4% on the same month last year, and the third busiest month in Stansted’s history.

July also saw the airport record its busiest ever departure day as nearly 53,000 passengers took to the skies on 26 July, the first Friday of the school holiday.

The top destinations in the month were Dublin, Istanbul and Palma de Mallorca, with the most popular countries being Spain, Italy and Turkey.

The 12-month total to the end of July stood at 29.12 million passengers, an increase of 8.5% on the previous year.

Operational performance in July remained good with 99% of departing passengers passing through security in 15 minutes or less, with an average queue time of less than four minutes 30 seconds during the main departure peaks. In addition, the airport’s services to passengers with reduced mobility and disabilities was last week rated as “very good” by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), the highest award possible, for the second consecutive year.

The month also saw the launch of the airport’s latest Little Book of Travel Tales, which was created as part of a World Book Day competition. Children from schools surrounding the airport were given the chance to share their stories with themes including flights, aircraft, holidays and working at the airport. The book is being handed out by airport colleagues in the terminal to entertain young travellers across the summer holiday.

Anita Harrison, London Stansted’s Customer Operations Director, said: “The start of the main summer holiday getaway is always a very busy time at the airport, and this year we’ve been busier than ever as we welcomed a record-breaking number of passengers to London Stansted.

“I’m really pleased our teams right across the airport have worked incredible hard to provide the best possible service, and deliver a smooth and easy journey through the terminal for our passengers as we know this is really important to them to have as stress-free experience as possible. This great work is borne out by our strong security performance, with 99% of departing passengers passing safely through security in less than 15 minutes, and with an average queue time of less than four and a half minutes during the peak departure periods of the day.

“I’m also delighted we recently receive the highest possible rating once again from the CAA for our services to passengers with reduced mobility and disabilities, which is another positive reflection of the hard work of our colleagues and our service provider, ABM, who make every effort to provide a welcoming and inclusive experience for every passenger travelling through the airport. 

“In addition, with many families travelling through the airport at this time of year, the launch of our latest Little Book of Travel Tales will I’m sure help entertain young passengers as they begin their holidays from London Stansted.

“As the holiday season continues, we know there will be no let-up in the strong demand we have already seen this summer as even more passengers choose to fly from the airport, so we will continue doing all we can to make sure we deliver the best experience possible for every passenger flying from London Stansted.”

The article Flying start to summer getaway as London Stansted records busiest ever July first appeared in TravelDailyNews International.