London Stansted is a base for a number of European low-cost carriers. This includes being the largest base for low-cost airline Ryanair , with over destinations served by the airline. As of [update] , it is the fourth-busiest airport in the United Kingdom after Heathrow , Gatwick , and Manchester. It came under British Airports Authority control in The airport has one main passenger terminal which opened in , with three passenger satellites containing the departure gates.
The terminal building was designed by Foster and Partners and is regarded as influential for airport architecture. From to , Stansted had rapid expansion of passenger numbers on the back of the boom in low-cost air travel, peaking at 24 million passengers in the 12 months to October , but passenger numbers declined in the next five years.
Passenger totals later increased, and in recorded an annual increase of 8. The airfield opened in early July with a dedication ceremony for the Stansted Airfield with a parade of builders, the th Engineer Aviation Battalion EAB and the th Engineer Aviation Battalion EAB of the United States Army, along with a small group of the British Royal Engineers who offered to help and wanted to learn how to operate the heavy construction equipment.
Although the official name was Stansted Mountfitchet, the base was known as simply Stansted in both written and spoken form. As well as an operational bomber base, Stansted was also an Air Technical Services Command maintenance and supply depot concerned with major overhauls and modification of Bs.
After D-Day, these activities were transferred to France, but the base was still used as a supply storage area for the support of aircraft on the continent. In addition, between March and August , Stansted was used for housing German prisoners of war. The Ministry of Civil Aviation finally took control of Stansted in and the airport was then used as a base by several UK charter airlines. During the s, '70s, and early '80s, the Fire Service Training School was based on the eastern side of the airfield under the auspices of the Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation, now the Civil Aviation Authority.
