A MAJOR airport in the UK has revealed its massive investment plans over the next five years – including a £600million terminal extension.
London Stansted Airport has confirmed its plans of the £1.1billion renovation.
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The biggest new development will be extending the main terminal.
Another £500million will be put into improving the current terminal and rest of the airport.
This means a bigger security hall as well as taxiway and gate rooms.
This also means a smoother journey for passengers at check in, security and immigration.
The improvements will expand the terminal by a third, which means more space for both passengers and airlines.
Construction is expected to start by next year.
The project will then take between two and three years to complete.
Ken O’Toole, Chief Executive Officer of MAG – which owns London Stansted, Manchester and East Midlands Airports, said: “By investing more than £1 billion in Stansted over the next 5 years, we will be able to connect people and businesses in London and the east of England to even more global destinations, while welcoming millions more visitors to the UK.”
Transport Secretary, Louise Haigh, added: “This announcement is a clear signal that Britain is open for business.”
London Stansted recorded a record number of passengers this year.
The London airport welcomed 29.3million passengers in the year to September 2024.
Gareth Powell, Stansted’s managing director, said: “We aim to add even more choice of airlines to continue growing our extensive route network.
“We are already welcoming a record number of passengers, with people drawn to the fact we give them a great choice of destinations, at excellent value and with fantastic access into central London and the whole of the East of England.
“We are unique among major airports in operating a single terminal, which means we can give people a simple, efficient and seamless experience.”
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The airport recently welcomed a number of new airlines and flight routes.
British Airways returned to London Stansted this year with routes to Ibiza, Florence and Nice.
Royal Jordanian Airlines launched flights to Amman back in March while Sun Express has launched flights to Izmir.
New routes include Jet2 flights to Tivat in Montenegro, and Ryanair to Sarajevo.
And Emirates opened a £4million new lounge at London Stansted last month.
London City Airport opened its £12million expansion this year, which includes a new departure lounge and shops.
The airport is to welcome 2.5million more passengers due to the expansion.
What about the world’s biggest airport?
Earlier this year, plans behind the world’s biggest airport were revealed – with flights set to take off by 2030.
King Salman International Airport in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, will have a massive six runways and is expected to see 120million passengers each year.
The huge new travel hub will be spread across 57 square kilometres (22 square miles), with 12 square kilometres dedicated to recreational facilities and a retail space.
Manchester Airport is also working on its £1.3billion transformation with larger terminals and new restaurants.
Meanwhile, this new £4.7bn airport will be the biggest in its continent when it’s built.
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