Stansted was last night grated the green light to raise the number of passengers it is allowed to handle to 43 million a year.
The increase from the current threshold of 35 million a year will support international connectivity, including more long-haul routes from the Essex airport. It currently serves 27 million passengers a year.
The growth will be delivered within existing flights limits and a smaller noise footprint than previous permissions required, according to Satnsted.
Stansted CEO Ken O’Toole said: “We are delighted that Uttlesford District Council has approved our planning application to enable the airport to grow over the next decade.
“This will boost our region’s economic growth and deliver 5,000 additional jobs at London Stansted airport.”
The decision offers Stansted and its airline partners the long-term clarity needed to make further investment decisions at the airport.
But it also “importantly provides the local community with the assurance that our future growth will be delivered in a measured and sustainable way,” O’Toole added.
“From the outset our local community has been a vital partner in this planning process and it was their feedback which lead us to put forward a proposal which did not seek an increase in the number of flights and committed to deliver the growth within a smaller noise footprint than our existing permissions require,” he said.
“The decision is great news for the airport, our staff and the growth ambitions of the region, London and the wider UK and will improve passenger choice and convenience and boost international long-haul routes to fast-growing markets like China, India and the US.
“The combination of the strong economic health of our catchment, our available runway capacity, the £600 million investment we are making in our facilities and the continuing desire of local residents to travel by air by London Stansted, will collectively ensure that the airport has a bright future.”
The news came as sister facility Manchester airport saw 28 million passengers passing through its three terminals for the first time in its history.
The UK’s third largest airport attracted more than 2.5 million passengers in October, an increase of 6% on the same month in 2017.
That brought the rolling annual total to more than 28 million passengers.
Numbers were bolstered by the October school half term, with many families travelling for autumn breaks.
Last week saw the launch of the only direct service in the UK to Mumbai outside of London, as Jet Airways started flights.
Ryanair, easyJet and Jet2 have all added capacity to their winter schedules, which will continue to bolster overall passenger numbers.
Additionally, Ethiopian Airlines starts flights to Addis Ababa in December.