Stansted is set to be the fastest growing London-area airport this year with more than 10.8 million seats available across its summer schedule.
An extra 1.2 million extra seats are on offer compared to summer 2017 – the highest growth reported at any London airport.
A 12.1% year-on-year increase in demand for runway slots, compares to 1.4% at capacity-constrained Heathrow, 2.1% at Gatwick and 3.3% at Luton.
Five new airlines will start flying from the Essex airport this season – Emirates, Primera Air, WOW air, Air Corsica and Widerøe to destinations ranging from New York, Washington DC, Boston and Toronto to Dubai, Corsica, Reykjavik and Kristiansand in Norway.
The new daily Emirates service to Dubai will provide more than 100,000 seats in its first year of operation, while Primera Air’s transatlantic routes offer over 200,000 seats to the US and Canada.
Existing carriers will also offer more destinations and increased capacity this summer including new Ryanair services to Rimini and Belfast and Jet2.com routes to Nice, Naples, Malta, Bodrum, Almeria, Thessaloniki, Kefalonia and Verona.
Thomas Cook will operate a long-haul programme to Orlando, Las Vegas and Cancun from July in addition to re-commencing flights to Tunisia.
Flights to key business destinations have also increased, including Frankfurt with more than 80,000 additional seats, Dusseldorf with 19,000 more, double the number of seats to Belfast and 30,000 more seats to Munich.
Stansted chief executive, Ken O’Toole, said: “London Stansted will be the fastest growing London airport in 2018. This summer alone we will offer more than 10.8 million seats to over 190 destinations, an increase of 1.2 million compared to 2017.
“We’re also welcoming five new airlines to Stansted, taking the total to 22 and doubling the number of airlines using the airport since acquisition by MAG [Manchester Airports Group].”
He added: “With limited spare capacity at other airports in the south-east, Stansted will deliver 50% of London’s expected passenger growth over the next decade. Given this anticipated growth, we expect to reach our current planning cap by the early 2020s.
“That why it’s important we plan ahead to ensure we are well prepared for this growth. Last month we applied for permission to raise the number of passengers we serve to 43 million a year, with a firm commitment to do so without any additional flights or noise impacts beyond our current permissions.
“We’ve also begun the first phase of our £600 million investment programme which will provide additional check-in desks, extra seating as well as more car and aircraft parking to cater for increased demand and enhance the passenger experience.
“Through our ambitious route development and investment plans, and with more and more airlines recognising the great opportunity Stansted offers, the airport will make an even greater contribution to improving the UK’s connectivity with the rest of the world.”