London Stansted welcomed a record-breaking 2.71 million passengers in September as strong demand for short breaks and late summer sun continued beyond the peak holiday season.
The record monthly total was an increase of 3.4% on the same month last year and surpassed the previous record for September set in 2018 by more than 31,000 passengers.
The most popular sunshine destinations during the month were Palma de Mallorca, Alicante, Malaga, Antalya, and Faro, with Dublin, Istanbul, Edinburgh, Belfast, and Rome the most in-demand short break and city destinations.
The most popular countries across the month were Spain, Italy, and Turkey.
Operational performance during the month remained strong, with 99% of passengers passing safely through security in 15 minutes or less, and with an average queue time of less than 2 minutes during the main departure peaks.
The 12-month total to the end of September stands at 29.35 million passengers, an increase of 7.2% on the previous year.
Jon Fowler, London Stansted’s Chief Operations Officer, said: “Hot on the heels of London Stansted’s busiest ever peak summer season, we once again welcomed a record-breaking number of passengers in September as our extensive range of around 200 destinations, and reliable and efficient airport operation continued to drive strong demand from people wanting to fly from their local airport.
“The possibilities to travel affordably and flexibly from London Stansted provide people with fantastic choices, whether they are flying away for a late summer holiday or ‘weekenders’ jetting off to explore some of Europe’s most iconic cities on a short break.
“And we also continue to welcome tens of thousands of overseas visitors who really appreciate the excellent value and convenient access we offer that makes Stansted the obvious choice when wishing to visit the great cities of London and Cambridge, and the wider Eastern region, on their holidays.
“I’m delighted that the hard work and dedication of our colleagues, and cooperation with business partners across the airport, has enabled us to deliver a very strong and reliable level of customer service for our record-breaking number of passengers, with an average security queue time of less than two minutes during the busiest departure periods, and 99% of passengers passing safely through security in under 15 minutes.
“We are now preparing for the half-term holidays, when we expect to be really busy once again, so our focus is on maintaining and delivering the simple and efficient experience we know our passengers really value when choosing to travel from London Stansted.”
