London Stansted airport has received planning permission to extend its existing terminal building from the UK’s Planning Inspectorate.

The airport, which has enjoyed a quick rebound from the Covid-19 pandemic with 27 million passengers in the past 12 months, secured the permission following a hearing on 17 October.

It means that Stansted will be able to extend its terminal by 16,500 square metres to create a larger departure lounge, extra shops, bars and restaurants, as well as additional baggage capacity and more security lanes.

“The extension will enable the airport to improve its capacity at busy times and provide the extra space required to accommodate forecast growth,” said Stansted in a statement.

Gareth Powell, Stansted’s managing director, called the planning decision “excellent news for our passengers, colleagues, airport partners and the region we serve”.

“Stansted is now entering a new phase in its history, as we look to serve more passengers than ever before,” added Powell. “Our unique and growing route network, and easy access to and from London and the east of England, is a fantastic platform to build on. 

“Our aim is to be the airport of choice for even more passengers, and we are confident we can achieve that goal by further enhancing our facilities and attracting even more airlines to the airport to provide the best range of destinations.”

The airport has a current passenger cap of 43 million per year, which was raised from a previous limit of 35 million passengers two years ago.

Stansted is part of Manchester Airports Group, which also runs Manchester and East Midlands airports in the UK.