Green light for next phase of growth at Stansted

09 October 2008

BAA expressed delight today at the decision by the Government to grant permission for increased passenger numbers on Stansted's existing single runway.

On all significant points BAA's case was fully supported by the Planning Inspector and endorsed by the Government.

The decision, taken jointly by Transport Secretary, Geoff Hoon and Hazel Blears, Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, will allow Stansted to serve up to 35 million passengers a year.

Welcoming the news, Stansted's managing director, Stewart Wingate, said:

"We are naturally delighted with this decision coming as it does after a full and independent public inquiry last year. With longer term forecasts predicting passenger growth, this decision secures our future and allows us to plan ahead with certainty.

"We will now take time to study the full detail of the decision, including the independent Planning Inspector's report, before commenting further.

"What we can say today however is that this is great news for the millions of leisure and business travellers who depend on Stansted to keep them connected with Europe and the wider world."

Media enquiries

Notes to editors

BAA Stansted submitted a planning application to Uttlesford District Council (UDC) on 26 April 2006 asking permission to remove the 25 million a year cap on passenger numbers, and to increase the limit on air transport movements (ATMs) to 264,000 a year. (Stansted is the only UK airport to have a passenger number cap) UDC refused the application on 29 November 2006 and BAA Stansted appealed the decision on 30 November 2006 An independent public inquiry was held from 30 May to 19 October 2007 The planning application related to growth on Stansted's existing single runway, and was entirely separate to the application for the second runway development which was submitted in March 2008 The application for growth on the single runway did not ask permission for any additional physical developments or facilities that do not currently have planning approval; nor did it seek any modification to current night flight restrictions Stansted is the UK's third busiest airport serving nearly 23 million passengers and 184,000 air transport movements a year Full details of Stansted's development plans are available at www.stanstedairport.com/future.