London Stansted Airport handles record pax in Oct-2026
London Stansted Airport reported (11-Nov-2026) it handled 2.8 million passengers in Oct-2026, an increase of 4.2% year-on-year and a new record for the month of October. The airport handled its busiest day on record on 25-Oct-2026 with 109,881 passengers. The performance was driven by a "strong October half-term" and the popularity of "flagship routes", including services to Istanbul. Dublin and Edinburgh were the second and third most popular destinations during the month, with Spain, Italy and Türkiye the most popular countries. MD Gareth Powell stated: "The airport now serves nearly 31 million passengers a year and plays a key role in driving trade, investment and tourism for London and the East of England... with planning permission to serve up to 51 million passengers over the next two decades", adding: "We're also making good progress on our transformation programme... to support future growth and enhancements to the airport experience for passengers in the years ahead". [more - original PR - London Stansted Airport] [more - original PR - Manchester Airports Group]
Background ✨
London Stansted sustained record-breaking traffic through summer 2026, setting new monthly highs in Jul-2026 (3.1 million) and Aug-2026 (3.3 million), with multiple 100,000-plus passenger days and Istanbul and Dublin among the busiest routes.1 2 The airport then posted another monthly record in Sep-2026 at 2.9 million passengers, with MD Gareth Powell citing continued strong demand after its busiest-ever summer season.3