The start of the peak summer holiday exodus has helped London Stansted record its busiest ever July.
Last month it handled 2.9 million passengers passing through the terminal.
The monthly passenger total was an increase of 3.4% on last year, and the third busiest month in Stansted’s history.
July also saw the airport record its busiest ever departure day as nearly 53,000 passengers took off on 26 July, the first Friday of the school holidays.
The top destinations in the month were Dublin, Istanbul and Palma de Mallorca, with the most popular countries being Spain, Italy and Turkey.
The 12-month total to the end of July stood at 29.12 million passengers, an increase of 8.5% on the previous year.
Operational performance in July remained good with 99% of departing passengers passing through security in 15 minutes or less;
The average queue time was less than four and a half minutes during the main departure peaks.
In addition, the airport’s services to passengers with reduced mobility and disabilities was last week rated as ‘very good’ by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).
This was the second consecutive year it has received the highest ranking.
Anita Harrison, the airport’s Customer Operations Director, said: “Our teams right across the airport have worked incredible hard to provide the best possible service, and deliver a smooth journey.”
“As the holiday season continues, we know there will be no let-up in the strong demand we have already seen this summer.”
