London Stansted Airport unveils plans for £600m extension

Stansted released images to showcase the extension at the UK government’s International Investment Summit earlier this week, having secured planning permission for the extension in October 2023.

The extension will add three bays to the back of the terminal building, extending it by 16,500 sq m (177,605 sq ft). The updated design also features an enlarged immigration hall, moving from its current location and freeing up additional space for a bigger departure lounge plus new larger arrivals baggage carousels.

The more spacious departure lounge will feature additional seating, a greater choice of shops, bars and restaurants, and a larger security hall with more security lanes equipped with next-generation scanners.

The extension will be the centrepiece of a wider, five-year investment programme in the airport, and promises more seating as well as new shops, bars and restaurants.

It comes as London Stansted reported record passenger numbers for each month of 2024. It served a total of 29.3 million passengers in the year to September 2024, the busiest 12-month period in the airport’s history.

A digital render of how the extended London Stansted Airport terminal will look (Image: London Stansted Airport)

The terminal development will help the airport to serve up to 43 million passengers a year, and London Stansted claimed it would double its economic contribution to £2 billion (US$2.6 billion) a year.

Also included in the £1.1 billion investment programme are:

• An enlarged security hall and installation of next-generation security equipment
• A 14.3MW on-site solar farm
• Gate room reconfiguration to create more space for passengers pre-boarding aircraft
• Airfield taxiway upgrade

The airport has already completed a new EV-charging forecourt and thrive-thru restaurants, and a new Emirates business lounge.

Gareth Powell, London Stansted’s managing director, said: “Since receiving planning permission last October, our teams have carefully considered every touch point of a passenger’s journey through the terminal to ensure the extension transforms the airport experience by adding more space, choice, comfort and range of services on offer, from check-in right through to arrivals.”