The FINANCIAL — London Stansted saw more than 1.69 million passengers pass through the airport in February, up 15% on the same month last year and the busiest ever February on record.
The 23rd consecutive month of passenger growth enabled Stansted to surpass the previous high for February set in 2007, even allowing for an adjustment to a like-for-like 28 day month.
Aircraft load factors for the month also achieved another record with an average of 84.9% of all available seats occupied on every flight during February, according to Stansted.
In the 12 months ending February 2016, the total number of passengers using Stansted grew to over 22.9 million, an increase of 11.5% over the previous year and the highest annual total since August 2008.
Cargo volumes also recorded a significant increase with tonnage up 9.4% in February compared to the same month in 2015. The annual total grew to over 240,000 tonnes, up 4.5% on the previous 12 months.
Andrew Harrison, Stansted’s Managing Director, said: “The upward trend in passenger traffic at Stansted continued during the month as we experienced our busiest ever February, the 23rd consecutive month of passenger growth and the highest annual passenger total since August 2008.
“This strong demand continues to be driven by record numbers of passengers on each flight arriving and departing from Stansted plus airlines increasing capacity on key routes including Berlin, Cologne, Prague and the Scottish cities of Edinburgh and Glasgow.”
“Stansted is the UK’s fastest growing major airport at the heart of the UK’s innovation corridor and we remain focused on providing passengers with even more choice of airlines and destinations to better serve our region’s needs.”
