The plans to expand the largest budget airline hub in the UK were recently approved by the government. At the same time, the major carriers who use the airport threatened to move flights away from the Essex airport if they are forced to pay for the expansion through increased user fees.
Ryanair and easyJet operate the most flights out of the airport and are warning that the expansion could mean less, not more, service. An easyJet spokesman said that “It could mean less flights. If BAA goes ahead and adds £550m on the value of the airport and further increases it charges, both airlines take out capacity.” These two carriers are very popular for international property investors, who use them to get to their holiday homes across Europe.
The decision by the BAA is meant to increase Stansted’s capacity from its current limit of 25 million passengers per year to 35 million. That could mean as many as 120 more daily flights for the airport. Aviation minister Jim Fitzpatrick said that overcrowding at London airports was the major factor in approving expansion, noting that “There is an urgent need for additional runway capacity in the south east.”
In addition to the approval of Stansted’s expansion, City Airport in London’s Docklands was given permission to increase flights there by 50%. This means that the current flight limit of 80,000 will increase to 120,000 per year, with passenger numbers climbing up to 3.2 million next year.
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