Stansted Airport opens terminal extension

This week has seen improvements to services available at Stansted Airport with the opening of the first phase of the gateway's terminal extension.

Unveiled on July 1st, the extension is part of a £50 million ongoing project to develop the UK's third busiest airport.

New facilities include 6,000 square metres of additional space for arriving passengers, a sixth baggage reclaim belt and a biomass heating boiler that makes the extension entirely carbon neutral.

Future developments, due to be opened by December this year, will include new shops, more comfortable waiting areas and new transport facilities.

Nick Barton, strategy director at Stansted Airport, said: "At peak times we can expect over 3,300 arriving passengers an hour through the terminal, so this new extension is all about us continuing to provide the best possible facilities for passengers.

"This means meeting the travel demands of today as well as planning ahead for passenger growth in the future which is forecast to see numbers rise to 35 million a year by 2015."

UK travellers can catch flights from Stansted Airport to destinations including Vienna, Dubai and Florence.