The times are changing for London Stansted. The UK’s third-largest airport after Heathrow and Gatwick carried 23.7 million passengers last year and has ambitious plans to triple that in the next 25 years.
Unsurprisingly, it is an aim which has set it on a collision course with both environmental groups and local residents in the area. More surprisingly, perhaps, it is also facing opposition from the airlines which helped power its spectacular growth. Still, having watched Stansted’s progress over the last 16 years, few would bet against its chances of success.
Opened in 1991 in Sir Norman Foster’s stylish terminal building, Stansted powered ahead of rivals such as Manchester because of its low landing charges and the availability of convenient flight slots. As well as having an unrivalled schedule of services across Europe, it has all-business airline Eos and a daily service from American Airlines serving New York, Air Berlin about to offer China via its Dusseldorf hub and Air Asia announcing plans to fly direct to Kuala Lumpur by the end of the year.
So much for the immediate plans. There are a number of obstacles to overcome in the mid to long-term for Stansted to grow. The airport is currently capped at 25 million passengers, so with a predicted 4 per cent growth in passengers this year, BAA has applied to raise this cap to 35 million. The application has already been referred to a public inquiry.
A separate application has been made for a £2.5 billion second runway and new terminal, which eventually could see the airport service up to 68 million passengers; but again, this will go to a public inquiry, and would not be open until 2015 at the earliest (and it would be 2030 before it reached capacity). Meanwhile the airport is expanding the terminal building by adding a £40 million arrivals area, which will open in June and will give it an additional 5,900 sqm of floor space in the international arrivals area, including immigration, baggage hall and customs.
At present, the major airlines from Stansted are Ryanair, Easyjet, Wizz Air, Turkish Airlines, Air Berlin, American Airlines and Eos. Nick Barton, business development and planning director BAA, Stansted says: “ Stansted has more scheduled flights into Europe than Heathrow and, as well as having 2.5 million passengers interlining under their own steam and using us as a hub, we also service several hubs in Europe, particularly Istanbul for Turkish Airlines and Dusseldorf with Air Berlin.”
For business travellers keen to make the most of their travel budgets, both of these airlines offer real opportunities. Despite the name, Air Berlin now flies from Stansted to Dusseldorf, Hanover, Paderborn, Nuremberg, Munster, Munich as well as Berlin.
The 50-plus flights from Dusseldorf allow connections onward to Moscow and St Petersburg, and from May this year will add Shanghai and Beijing to a long-haul network which already includes New York and Fort Myers. Interestingly, a new flat bed product is being introduced for these flights (pictured over), although at present these flights cannot be booked on the Air Berlin website.
In the case of Turkish Airlines, a member of Star Alliance, there is the possibility of accessing over 30 destinations across Turkey, Central Asia and the Middle East through flights to its Istanbul hub. The airline is one of the fastest-growing in Europe (passenger traffic growth of 23.5 per cent according to AEA [Association of European Airlines]), and intends to start flying to 11 new destinations by the end of the year, adding an additional 22 aircraft.
It’s a competitive market, however. Although Stansted, Gatwick and Heathrow are all owned by BAA, they compete to attract new carriers, as shown by American Airlines. With great fanfare it started flights from Stansted to New York JFK, while continuing to fly from London Gatwick and London Heathrow, then recently announced that it was moving its flights from Gatwick to Heathrow, and delaying a second daily flight from Stansted from April to August. The reason given was shortage of pilots, and there’s no doubt that American is going ahead with its business class lounge on Pier Two at Stansted, scheduled to open this summer, but nothing is guaranteed in today’s aviation world, particularly with oil at well over US$100 a barrel.
Then there is the sad tale of all-business class airline Maxjet, which folded at the end of 2007, having offered flights from Stansted to Las Vegas, New York and Washington DC. So what does the future hold for Stansted, particularly with its owner BAA seemingly incapable of generating positive headlines?
“Growth will come in three ways,” says Barton. “Firstly, through the organic growth of the existing airlines at Stansted, secondly as a result of inbound growth from low-cost carriers such as Wizz Air, and thirdly from long-haul growth. The growth of our markets follows the internet as it progresses through Eastern Europe.”
On the long-haul routes, Eos has been another notable success for Stansted. Starting service in October 2005 with a single daily flight to New York with its Boeing 757 planes configured for just 48 flat-bed seats (measuring a generous six feet, six inches), the airline now has 44 weekly flights, rising to 58 when new Newark flights start on May 5. In addition, a new daily flight to Dubai starts on July 6.
An airline such as Eos would have been swamped by the competition at Heathrow, but Stansted has given it the space to grow, and now its distinctive all-business class model seems to be working. Exclusive it may be, but in recent figures released the airline claims to be flying one in nine business class passengers between London and New York, one of the most profitable routes in the world.
“It’s our ambition to offer over 200 destinations direct from Stansted,” says Barton. “We already serve over 160 today, across 35 countries and we’re looking forward to welcoming our first direct link to the aviation hub of the Middle East, Dubai, in July, and to supporting Eos as the airline further develops its route network from Stansted.”
It was the low-cost airlines that helped fuel Stansted’s growth, but now those same airlines are objecting to the cost of further expansion. In the case of Ryanair, the criticism is stinging. Peter Sherrard, head of communications at Ryanair, says: “From our perspective, Stansted is an absolute disaster. We’ve developed it from an empty, loss-making white elephant into a thriving airport, but unfortunately it’s in the hands of a monopoly which is abusing its power.
“BAA doubled the prices for us at Stansted last April, and the regulator has already indicated that they are very likely to double again to pay for the new terminal and a new runway. That is unanimously opposed by all of the airport users at Stansted.”
This is all rejected by Stansted. Mark Davison, the airport’s head of media relations, says: “It’s not about doubling the charges, it was an end to the discounted rates in April 2007, and this was communicated to all the airlines using the airport well ahead of time. With regards to the possibility of charges going up in the future, the regulator has not made a decision on it, so it’s second-guessing as to how much they will rise.”
Davison points out that the first phase of the expansion will deliver a runway and terminal for £1.4 billion. “Ryanair is pursuing plans to develop a maintenance hangar here,” says Davison, “and that’s because they recognise that our proximity to London and Cambridge means we can serve their customer base very well.”
So what does the future hold? For Stewart Wingate, managing director of BAA Stansted, it’s “significant investment… that will not only transform Stansted but also keep it as the perfect gateway to the City, London, the east of England and the wider south-east.”
Wingate told Business Traveller that he is confident that the airport will make “significant progress” on its plans to develop a long-haul schedule. He said: “We know that there is huge demand for more long-haul destinations, as business leaders regularly tell us this while we are out and about in the region, and an expanded long-haul offer will sit perfectly alongside the comprehensive European network which we have today.
“While we will no doubt face a number of challenges along the way, on a number of fronts, everyone at Stansted is fully committed to delivering the best service possible. I want to build on the excellent position we find ourselves in today and to make sure that, when passengers want to fly in the future, they choose to do so
from Stansted.”
STANSTED’S FUTURE PLANS
BAA has submitted its Generation 2 (G2) planning applications for the development of a second runway at Stansted Airport.
The intention is for Stansted to be the location of the first new runway in the south-east of England for over 50 years, with the two-runway, two-terminal airport being operational by 2015, and serving 68 million passengers a year in around 2030.
The opening cost in 2015 is estimated to be £1.4 billion, with further phases of expansion up to the year 2030 taking the overall cost, including BAA’s contribution to road and rail improvements, to around £2.7 billion.
Four planning applications have been made for the development:
• Full application for the runway, taxiways and other engineering works
• Outline application for the terminal and other buildings
• Application for nature conservation and landscaping off-setting measures
• Application for the construction of new local roads to replace those severed by extended airport.
Nevertheless, under government aviation policy, the new runway should go ahead subject to planning permission and meeting noise and air pollution guidelines.
According to BAA, the key features of the development plans include:
• The creation of over 13,000 new jobs by 2030
• UK economic benefits of £9 billion,
most of which will be within the £100 billion eastern region economy
• Investment planned in road and rail improvements around Stansted.
Visit stanstedairport.com/future.
NEW ROUTES
New routes from Stansted in recent months:
• Rygge (Oslo) Norwegian.no
• Poitiers Ryanair
• Genoa Ryanair
• Rodez Ryanair
• Almeira Ryanair
• Zadar (Croatia) Ryanair
• Pula (Croatia) Ryanair
• Angouleme Ryanair
• Faro (Algarve) Ryanair
• Athens Aegean Airlines
• Newark Eos Airlines
• Dubai Eos Airlines
STANSTED HOTELS
RADISSON SAS HOTEL STANSTED
Waltham Close, Stansted; tel +44 (0)12 7966 1012; stansted.radissonsas.com
The property is the only hotel within walking distance of the airport and is linked to the terminal, short-term car park and Stansted Express train station by a covered walkway.The property has 396 Standard rooms, 80 Business Class rooms, 12 junior suites and 12 suites, as well as 26 meeting rooms, with the largest of them holding 400 people theatre-style. (Wifi is free for all delegates.) The hotel also offers a health and fitness centre with a ten-metre pool and gym.
PRICE £119 for a Standard room or £149 for a Business Class room with breakfast.
EXPRESS BY HOLIDAY INN STANSTED AIRPORT
Thremhall Avenue, Stansted; tel +44 (0)12 7968 0015; expressstanstedairport.co.uk
Situated just off the A120, five minutes from Stansted, the hotel is served by a shuttle bus (every 20 minutes, 4am-12pm and 4pm-12am). The hotel’s 254 bedrooms include twin, double, family and wheelchair-accessible rooms of a standard size, with satellite TV, tea and coffee-making facilities, a workdesk and wired internet access for a fee. There are also six meeting rooms – three holding up to ten people boardroom-style, two fitting 30 people theatre-style and one accommodating up to 70 theatre-style.
PRICE £83 including continental breakfast.
HILTON STANSTED
Round Coppice Road, Stansted; tel +44 (0)12 7968 0800; hilton.co.uk
The four-star hotel is located off the A120 and is no more than a ten-minute shuttle ride from the airport. There are 239 rooms, of which 70 per cent have been refurbished in the last 18 months. Standard, Deluxe, family rooms and suites are available, and all rooms feature tea and coffee-making facilities, air conditioning, a workdesk and a TV. The property also offers three restaurants, a business centre with internet access and 16 meeting rooms.
PRICE £89 for a Standard room, rising to £109 for a Deluxe room.
BEST WESTERN STANSTED MANOR HOTEL
Birchanger Lane, Birchanger; tel +44 (0)12 7985 9800; stanstedmanor-hotel.co.uk
The three-star hotel is located in 34 acres of countryside and is around ten minutes from Stansted airport by taxi (costing around £10). All 70 rooms, which include eight junior suites and one Executive suite, have been recently redecorated and feature satellite TV, tea and coffee-making facilities and free broadband. Breakfast is served from 4am in Wyndham’s restaurant, while the Birchwood Suite is the hotel’s main conference room, although the hotel also offers a marquee for larger events.
PRICE £92 room only or £98 with breakfast.
MANOR OF GROVES HOTEL GOLF AND COUNTRY CLUB
High Wych, Sawbridgeworth; tel +44 (0)12 7960 0777; manorofgroves.co.uk
The hotel is only ten miles from the airport and is a good alternative to staying on-site. There are 80 rooms, all with traditional décor and marble bathrooms with power showers, broadband internet (for a fee), plus tea and coffee-making facilities. Unlike many airport hotels it has extensive leisure facilities, which include a 20-metre pool, hot tub, steam rooms, saunas and a golf course. There are also extensive conference facilities within the Georgian house, as well as within the Exchange – a separate building which can hold up to 500.
PRICE Rates start at £80 including breakfast.
DAYS INN STANSTED
Birchanger Green, Bishops Stortford; tel +44 (0)12 7965 6477; daysinn.com
Open since 1995 and one mile from Stansted (a taxi is around £9), the 57-room hotel has wifi access in the reception area for a fee, and rooms with air conditioning and satellite TV.
PRICE £79 room only.
DE-SALIS HOTEL STANSTED
Hall Road, Elsenham; tel +44 (0)12 7981 7821; desalishotels.com
The 50-room De-Salis has a nine-hole golf course and two restaurants, one offering Indian cuisine with a Western twist and one offering Italian food. Free wifi internet access is available in public areas. The shuttle from Stansted airport costs £2.
PRICE Rooms from £68.
All prices quoted are for a fully flexible internet rate for a midweek stay in early May.
TRANSPORT
STANSTED EXPRESS
The Stansted Express runs from Stansted airport to London Liverpool Street and the Tottenham Hale tube station. The cost of travelling in standard class between the airport and Liverpool Street is £15 one way and £24 return (£24.50 and £39 for first class). Travelling to and from Tottenham Hale is £14 one way and £22 return (£23 and £36.50 for first class). The first train departs Liverpool Street at 0340 on Mondays, at 0410 Friday-Sunday, and at 0440 Tuesday-Thursday. The last train departs Liverpool Street at 2325. Trains begin departing from the airport at 0530, and the last departure is at 0030 Monday-Thursday and at 0130 Friday-Sunday. The average journey time is 46 minutes. Call +44 (0)845 600 7245, or visit stanstedexpress.com.
NATIONAL EXPRESS COACH
The National Express coach line serves Stansted airport 24 hours a day. A one-way ticket is £10 and a return is £17. Coaches depart London every ten to 30 minutes and cover north, east and central London. Pick-up points include Victoria coach station, Canary Wharf, Golders Green station, Blackfriars railway station and the Aldgate and Baker Street tube stations. From central London, the average journey time is one hour and 20 minutes. Call +44 (0)871 781 8181, or visit nationalexpress.com.
