Stansted Airport has today unveiled plans for a new £130m arrivals building in the last phase of investment by owner MAG to support growth and improve passenger facilities.
Stansted is currently the busiest single terminal airport in the UK with up to 5,000 departing passengers alone passing through its doors every hour at peak times.
With passenger numbers now at record levels, and expected to increase further over the next decade, not least due to runway capacity constraints at other London airports, MAG is submitting a planning application for a new arrivals building so that the current terminal can in future be dedicated entirely to departures.
Stansted already has planning permission to expand from its current level of around 24m passengers a year to a total of around 35m.
The new facility would enable the airport to make full use of its existinig runway, which has the potential to handle up to around 43m passengers a year, although this would require further planning consent
The proposed 34,000 square metre building spans three levels and would be located inside the existing footprint of the airport, close to the current terminal and the Radisson Blu Hotel.
It includes plans for a larger immigration and baggage reclaim area, new retail facilities and a public forecourt, enabliing the current terminal to be reconfigured to provide more space for departing passengers at check-in and security, and within the international departures lounge.
Stansted said the creation of a separate arrivals building will to minimise operational disruption during construction, with the design complements the architecture of the existing terminal building, created by Lord (Norman) Foster more than 25 years ago.
Subject to the planning consents and approvals, the arrivals building is expected to take up to three years to complete with improvements to the existing terminal due to be finished by 2022.
Stansted Airport chief executive Andrew Cowan said: “The planning application and concept design for the new £130m arrivals building marks the latest phase in Stansted’s transformation and enables us to support further growth over the next decade and give our passengers the facilities that they want.
“Since MAG acquired the airport in early 2013, we have turned Stansted into one of the UK’s fastest growing airports.
“It has always been our vision to invest in its infrastructure to create the best experience for our growing number of passengers and airline customers and have already invested over £150m to update our terminal and satellite facilities, created 1,000 more jobs, added over 40 new destinations and increased passenger numbers by nearly seven million.
“Stansted is thriving as a national asset, forming a key component of the UK’s aviation infrastructure at a time when airport capacity in the country is at a premium. Our investment will boost competition and enable the airport to play a bigger role in supporting economic growth, jobs and international connectivity across the East of England and London.
“Subject to planning consent, the next stage will be to develop our concept designs in conjunction with our stakeholders and business partners ahead of awarding any contracts for the construction works.”
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