London Stansted Airport History
with Stansted Car Rentals
The Story of London Stansted Airport
Stansted Airport Introduction.
London Stansted Airport is the UK's second busiest airport and the 6th busiest international airport. Serving more than 30 million passengers a year, Stansted has grown significantly in the 70 plus years of it's operation.
From Humble Origins
London Stansted Airport was opened officially in 1936 and it has always been an airport at the forefront of development. Its first innovation was a direct link for passengers between the airport and the nearby rail station. 20 years later its second innovation was to build a covered pier from the terminal to aircraft stands, which became a standard feature of airport design.
In 1931 what is now known as London Stansted Airport was a private airfield owned by Home Counties Aviation Services. Serious development was later carried out and the first terminal, together with taxiways and aprons, was opened in 1936. Passengers arriving by train could walk into the airport through subways and covered walkways.
Stansted airport suffered from a lack of paved runways and was eventually abandoned by its principal airline operator in 1938. Stansted's war time role as a Royal Air Force base saw it grow through the acquisition of the local racecourse but when it was returned to civil use in 1946 it was still basically a grass airfield.
Post War Stansted
In 1953 the Government decreed Stansted as London's second airport. The old airport was closed for major re-development. When it officially re-opened three years later Stansted had been transformed into a modern facility with a 2000 feet runway, a terminal incorporating a rail station and a covered pier linking terminal with aircraft, the first of its kind in the UK.
Stansted Just Keeps Growing
Charter traffic became big business in the 1980s and with more than a million passengers then using Stansted the terminal was extended and two more piers built. Stansted still ranked only fourth busiest of UK airports but British United Airways, then the main operator, was steadily introducing scheduled services.
In 1978 London Stansted Airport became a transatlantic gateway. By the time Delta, Braniff and British Caledonian started up their routes to the USA Stansted had already extended its runway to handle the long haul jets and further improved the terminal.
Stansted Airport in the Modern Era
Passenger traffic hit the 10 million mark in the 1980s and has continued to grow at a phenomenal rate, reaching over 31 million in 2001. The South and North Terminals opened as Stansted established itself as Britain's second busiest airport and an international player.
Stansted is anxious to build a second runway to meet growing demand. But there is strong opposition from local residents and environmentalists.