Stansted sets July record with start of school summer holidays 

Stansted saw its busiest July on record with the start of the school summer holidays as the airport handled more than 2.92 million passengers during the month.

A record day for departing passengers occurred on July 27 as more than 53,000 passengers left on flights. 

It was the busiest day of the year so far at with more than 102,000 passengers passing through the airport.

The monthly total was 0.9% up on the previous record high for July set last year and takes the number of passengers using Stansted in the past 12 months to 29.97 million, an increase of 2.9% on the previous year.

Spain, Italy and Turkey were the most popular countries visited during July with Palma joining Dublin and Edinburgh in the top three busiest individual destinations.

Operational performance during the month saw 99% of passengers passing through security in 15 minutes or less, with an average queue time of less than three minutes during the busiest departure peaks, according to the airport.

Customer operations director Anita Harrison said: “The main summer getaway at London Stansted has got off to a very strong start as we welcomed a record-breaking number of passengers.

“This is always a very busy time at the airport, and with more passengers than ever before choosing to fly from Stansted, the hard work and dedication of all the teams across the airport has ensured their holidays have got off to a smooth and stress-free start.

“As the getaway progresses across August, we know we will see this strong demand continue, so our teams will be working incredible hard to ensure we maintain a smooth and stable airport operation and deliver the best experience possible for every passenger flying from London Stansted.”