Stansted began as a wartime airfield and grew into a major civilian airport, with low-cost expansion transforming its role from the 1990s onward.
Wartime origin
Stansted was built as a military airfield during the Second World War and later transferred to civilian use.
Civil expansion
The airport developed gradually after the war, but its modern role was shaped by terminal redevelopment and the growth of low-cost aviation from the 1990s.
Low-cost era
Ryanair's expansion made Stansted one of Europe's major low-cost bases, giving the airport a very different traffic mix from Heathrow even though both serve the London market.
Fun facts
- In June 1983, a NASA Space Shuttle stopped at Stansted during a European tour; the airport says about 200,000 people turned out to see it.
- Stansted has appeared on screen in productions including James Bond, Bridget Jones and Only Fools and Horses.
- The terminal opened in 1991 was designed by Sir Norman Foster and remains one of the airport's defining architectural features.
See Stansted's history retrospective.