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Stansted Airport (not Stanstead)
In 1942 the United States Army Airforce established a base at
Stansted from where bombers eventually led more than 600 aircraft
over the beaches of France on D-Day. The site was taken over by
the Ministry of Civil Aviation in 1949 and developed as an airport
for diversions from London Heathrow but in 1954 the USAAF returned
to strengthen and extend the runway for NATO. They never used
it and control of the airport reverted to the Ministry of Transport.
In April 1966 the British Airports Authority assumed ownership
and responsibility for Stanstead Airport and the following year
it was proposed as London's third airport but then rejected in
1971 in favour of Maplin Sands in the River Thames estuary. However,
in 1978 the Maplin project was abandoned and the following year
Stansted was once again proposed as London's third airport. After
a lengthy public enquiry, approval was finally given in 1985 and
a period of development followed.
In 1991 a new and widely acclaimed terminal building was opened
to accommodate an initial capacity of 8 million passengers but
parliament raised the limit on passenger aircraft movements in
1996 and again in 1999 to 15 million so a £60 million extension
to the terminal building was constructed and opened in April 2002.
Stansted is the fourth busiest airport in the UK and handled about
17m passengers in 2002/2003 with permission to grow to 25m passengers
per year.
Business Facilities
The Stansted Airport Servisair Executive Lounge is available to
passengers on international flights. Facilities include credit
card phone, fax and modem points together with TV, newspapers
and complimentary refreshments. Wireless broadband internet access
is available in the departure lounge and other facilities for
internet access are available before security at check in zone
A and after security in all 3 satellites. There is also a range
of air conditioned meeting rooms with suites available to hire
located in Enterprise House close to the main terminal building.
For passengers requiring overnight accommodation the 4 star Hilton
National Stansted Airport is located on three acres of landscaped
grounds and is situated within the airport perimeter. Alternatively,
there is a variety of hotels located in Stansted and the surrounding
areas of Bishops Stortford and Dunmow.
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