London Stansted Airport

About London Stansted Airport

London Stansted Airport (IATA: STN, ICAO: EGSS) is an international airport in the Uttlesford district of Essex, next to the village of Stansted Mountfitchet. It sits just off the M11 motorway, around 40 miles (64 km) from central London, and also serves Cambridge, Hertfordshire and the East of England. UK Civil Aviation Authority data shows that Stansted handled 29,758,490 terminal passengers in 2025, around 29.8 million, making it the fourth busiest airport in the UK.

Stansted is owned and operated by Manchester Airports Group (MAG), which bought the airport in February 2013. It has a single runway, 04/22, which is 3,049 metres long, and a single passenger terminal designed by Norman Foster. The terminal is linked to satellite buildings where aircraft gates are located. The airport is best known as a base for low-cost and leisure airlines, with Ryanair operating a large base there.

How to get to London Stansted Airport

By train

Stansted Airport railway station is directly beneath the terminal, about a two-minute walk from check-in. The Stansted Express runs every 15 minutes between the airport and London Liverpool Street and is the fastest rail link to central London, with tickets cheaper when bought in advance. Services start early in the morning, and the last trains from the airport leave after midnight. CrossCountry trains also call at the station.

By road

Stansted is signposted from the M11. Drivers coming from London should leave at Junction 8a, and those coming from the Cambridge direction at Junction 8. The postcode for satellite navigation is CM24 1RW. Official parking is available on site, including short stay, mid stay, long stay and meet and greet options, along with blue badge spaces. A charge applies to the Express Set Down drop-off area.

By bus and coach

The bus and coach station is opposite the main terminal entrance, a two-minute walk away, with step-free access, waiting areas and a coffee shop. Operators include:

• National Express: coaches run 24 hours a day, with over 200 daily services to London on four routes and direct coaches to places such as Birmingham, Cambridge, Colchester, Coventry, Ipswich, Norwich and Oxford, as well as Gatwick, Heathrow and Luton airports.
• Flibco: direct transfers to Liverpool Street, Stratford and Finsbury Park.
• First Essex: regional bus routes to towns including Basildon, Colchester and Southend.

Terminal and facilities

Stansted operates from one terminal building, with gates reached from the main departure lounge. Facilities and services include:

• Security FastTrack, which can be pre-booked for quicker access through security.
• Assisted Travel, arranged through airlines at least 48 hours before departure, with an Assistance Lounge located on the route to gates 40 to 59.
• Escape Lounge, which can be booked by passengers flying with any airline.
• Free Wi-Fi, baby changing areas and an information desk in the terminal.
• Car hire available at the airport and on-site hotels.

Stansted does not list a general London Stansted Airport contact number. Enquiries go through the online contact form on the airport website, and written correspondence can be sent to the Customer Relations Team at Enterprise House.

Airlines and destinations

Most flights from Stansted are short-haul routes to cities and holiday destinations across Europe, including Spain, Italy, Portugal, Greece and the Canary Islands, alongside a smaller number of longer routes. Ryanair is the largest airline at the airport. Other airlines operating in 2026 include easyJet, Jet2.com, TUI and BA CityFlyer, and new routes announced for 2026 included easyJet to Paris Charles de Gaulle and BA CityFlyer to Olbia in Sardinia. Turkish Airlines began flying from Stansted to Istanbul on 18 March 2026, and AJet added a route to Bodrum.

History

Stansted opened in August 1943 as RAF Stansted Mountfitchet and was used by both British and American forces during the Second World War. After the war the airfield passed into civilian use, and BAA took control of it in 1966.

The current terminal, designed by Norman Foster, was officially opened by the Queen on 15 March 1991, raising the airport's capacity from two million to eight million passengers a year. On 28 February 2013 Stansted was sold by Heathrow Airport Holdings to Manchester Airports Group for £1.5 billion, joining Manchester and East Midlands airports in the group. MAG has since announced plans to extend the terminal to handle more passengers.