The day has finally come! A historic moment for London Stansted Airport that we have all been waiting for so long...

On Friday 8 June 2018, Emirates celebrated the inaugural flight of its new daily service from Dubai (DXB) to London Stansted (STN). The flight marks the first time an international airline based in the Middle East operates out of the popular London airport, and connects the East of England with Emirates’ global network of over 155 destinations via its hub Dubai.

Where will London Stansted Airport and Emirates take you next? 

To celebrate the airline’s arrival to the airport, Emirates and Stansted airport held a launch event for local dignitaries and stakeholders, hosted by Hubert Frach, Emirates Divisional Senior Vice President, Commercial Operations West, and Richard Jewsbury, Divisional Vice President, UK, alongside Ken O’Toole, Stansted Airport’s CEO.

Hubert Frach, Emirates’ Divisional Senior Vice President said:

“We decided to add London Stansted to our network because we saw an opportunity to directly connect the local community with some of the world’s most popular leisure and business destinations. Previously, London’s north east, and the wider 7.5 million people that live within Stansted’s catchment areas had to travel into the city, or further, to access airports with global reach. Now, this daily flight to Dubai connects passengers seamlessly to Emirates points across the Middle East, Africa, Asia and Australasia.There’s been a real appetite for increased connectivity between the thriving business community in the East of England and our global network too. The new gateway will support the swell of new start-ups, SMEs and established businesses in the London Stansted Cambridge Corridor by giving them access to new cities and countries across the globe."

Ken O’Toole, London Stansted’s CEO said: “Today is a truly significant moment in the history of London Stansted and we are delighted that our millions of passengers, based in London and the East of England, will see huge benefits from the direct connectivity between the airport and Emirates hub in Dubai and its vast array of onward connections.In 2018 Stansted is set to be the fastest growing London airport and a key enabler of economic growth for both the UK and East of England, and the addition of the new Emirates service will provide a further boost to our long haul ambitions and ultimately save local passengers valuable time and money that is associated with flying from other airports across London."

Click to hear more from Emirates' Hubert Frach and from London Stansted's Mark Souter Head of Aviation - Key Accounts and take a look inside this magnificent aircraft!

​Julie Budden, Chair of SACC:  "I had the pleasure of being part of this historic day welcoming Emirates to London Stansted Airport alongside other business leaders and representatives from businesses from around the region. 

It was a magical afternoon which actually brought tears to many eyes, including mine!  I have been part of Stansted for many years and have seen so many positive and rewarding changes and long may it continue.  

London Stansted continues to grow and brings important change to the region for both passengers and businesses alike as well as working with the community – well done “Our Stansted” – on behalf of myself and our members I applaud you for all the hard work you continue to do! Thank you.”

 Click here to take a look back at the evolution of London Stansted Airport, from its 1943 roots as RAF Stansted Mountfitchet airfield, to the announcement that Emirates is launching a daily non-stop direct service from London Stansted to Dubai.