Transport Secretary visits Stansted airport transformation

The programme aims to boost trade, investment and tourism across London and the East of England.

She toured the expanded security hall, where 17 scanners allow passengers to leave liquids and large electrical items in their hand luggage.

Heidi Alexander with managing director Gareth Powell (Image: Joshua Bratt / Parsons Media)

She was also briefed on construction of the airport’s new Skylink walkways.

The visit ended at Stansted’s new on-site solar farm, which began operating in September.

Gareth Powell, managing director of London Stansted, said: "We were delighted to welcome the Secretary of State to London Stansted and join us to see first-hand the progress we are making in delivering our ambitious investment plans to create an airport ready for the future and offer an even greater choice of destinations for our passengers.

Heidi Alexander receives an update on the construction of London Stansted’s new Skylink walkways from Rob Stewart, capital delivery programme director (Image: Joshua Bratt / Parsons Media)

"This year has been a very exciting period for everyone connected with London Stansted as we continue to welcome a record number of passengers, new airlines and routes and drive forward the airport’s transformation programme, so today’s visit was a fantastic chance to showcase the real momentum we have behind our vision for London Stansted.

"As one of the UK’s busiest airports serving more than 30 million passengers a year, London Stansted already plays a key role in providing international connectivity for London and the East of England, offering 200 destinations across 40 countries, and more scheduled connections to Europe than any other UK airport.

"Last year we secured planning permission to serve up to 51 million passengers a year, which alongside our investment plans, provides us with a strong platform to unlock the spare capacity on our existing runway and deliver our ambitious plans to sustainably increase passenger numbers, support economic growth and make a significant contribution to improving the UK’s connectivity with the rest of the world."

Heidi Alexander said: "We support airport expansion where it balances economic growth with climate, noise and air quality obligations.

"I'm pleased to see Stansted’s plans to grow passenger numbers responsibly – boosting connectivity, jobs and growth across the East of England, while meeting environmental commitments."