London Stansted Airport has once again been named the world’s best airport for low-cost airlines at the World Airport Awards.
For the third successive year, London Stansted, now part of Manchester Airports Group (M.A.G), topped the poll of 12.1 million passengers in the annual SKYTRAX airport customer survey ahead of rivals Berlin Schonefeld and Luton. The survey focused on all aspects of the passenger journey and captured the opinions of over 108 different nationalities at 395 airports across the world.
Collecting the award on behalf of Stansted Airport at the ceremony in Geneva, Switzerland, Communications Director, Will Parkes, said: 
“It’s a fantastic achievement and a very proud moment for everyone at Stansted to be voted the world’s best airport for low-cost airlines for the third year in a row. It’s made all the more special as the award is decided by the people that matter the most in the aviation world and the users of airports across the globe; our passengers.
“Stansted is now beginning a new era as part of M.A.G and there are very ambitious plans to develop and improve the airport. This includes significant investment plans to re-vamp the award winning terminal and build on our past success and excellent operational track record.
“Stansted already serves around 150 destinations across Europe but the focus now is to grow passenger numbers and broaden the route network with our existing customers and by attracting new airlines to the airport.
“It’s fantastic to be once again recognised as a world-leading airport, but our determination is to make Stansted even better in the months and years ahead.”
Edward Plaisted of SKYTRAX, said:
"We have seen an upturn in the number of nominations in the low-cost airport category in the 2013 survey, and London Stansted should be delighted with its consistent performance over the last three years. Demand for low-cost air travel continues to grow, as does the number of airports specifically targeting terminal facilities that cater for these passengers. From our survey results we can see that Stansted continues to lead other 'low-cost' airports by someway in the global results and is ranked amongst some of the larger airports in Europe and Asia."
Just one month after taking ownership of Stansted Airport, new owners Manchester Airports Group (M.A.G) have attracted its first new airline with the announcement that national carrier Air Moldova will move its UK flight operations from Gatwick to Stansted at the end of April.
Air Moldova flights will commence 29 April 2013 and operate direct to Chisinau International Airport twice a week (Friday and Monday) connecting passengers to the heart of the Moldovian Capital.
Welcoming the announcement Stansted Airport’s Managing Director, Andrew Harrison said:
“When M.A.G took ownership of Stansted Airport at the end of February we set out ambitious plans to attract new airlines and grow the range of destinations; so I’m delighted that Air Moldova is the first new airline to move their services to Stansted.
“Stansted has fantastic facilities and great on time performance. To build on this record, we have significant investment plans - including £40million to upgrade the terminal and security areas - to transform the experience for our passengers and make the airport more attractive to airlines looking to move into or expand in London.
“This is a very welcome and early stage in our long-term objectives to grow Stansted. We look forward to welcoming Air Moldova and their passengers to Stansted at the end of April.”
For further information and flight reservations visit www.airmoldova.md
Stansted Airport’s impressive cargo operation will enjoy a further boost this week with the arrival of Europe's largest dedicated cargo airline, Cargolux.
The Luxembourg-based carrier will fly a Boeing 747 on a twice weekly service between Stansted, Hong Kong and Luxembourg.
Mark Souter, Head of Airline Relations at Stansted Airport, said:
“We're delighted that Europe’s largest dedicated freight operator has selected the modern, world class cargo facilities at Stansted from which to operate their freight services between Hong Kong and Luxembourg. The cargo hub at Stansted offers excellent operational capacity, airfield and infrastructure reliability and easy access to the road network. Together with the ability to operate around the clock, Stansted provides businesses with access to multiple markets across the globe and adds significantly to the desirability of the UK as a place to locate and invest.
“The professionalism and reputation of the cargo partners already based here was also a major influencing factor in Cargolux’s decision. Our cargo operation is an important part of the Stansted offer and vital to the economic well-being of the region and country as a whole so we welcome Cargolux to Stansted and look forward to a long and successful business partnership.”
Mark Boffee, Cargolux Country Manager UK, said the new service expands the freight carrier’s UK operation and offers an easy connection to every destination on their worldwide network.
“Our customers can now benefit from a fast and reliable airfreight connection to the worldwide Cargolux network that significantly cuts down on shipping times. The service uses Cargolux’s modern fleet of Boeing 747 freighters. The airline has embarked on a fleet roll-over program and is currently replacing its proven Boeing 747-400 freighters with 13 units of Boeing’s new and advanced 747-8 freighters, six of which were delivered by the end of 2012,” added Mr Boffee.
Stansted is one of the largest freight hubs in the UK and home to an international cargo operation that transports over 200,000 tonnes of goods to destinations worldwide, including the USA and Far East. A testimony to the airport’s status as a major international cargo facility is the growing number of industry leaders that have already chosen to operate from the airport – Asiana, British Airways World Cargo, Global Supply Systems, Fed EX, Martinair, Royal Mail, Panalpina, Titan, TNT and UPS.
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