London Stansted began 2016 with another high flying month as the airport recorded its busiest ever January.  

Figures released today reveal over 1.66 million passengers used Stansted during January, surpassing the previous record of 1.59 million passengers set in January 2007 and an increase of 11.8% over the same month last year.

Aircraft load factors also hit a record high for the month of January with an average of 79.2% of all available seats occupied on every flight. This beat the previous high of 76.1% set last year.

In the 12 months ending January 2016, Stansted’s passenger numbers grew by 12% over the previous year with the moving annual total rising to 22.7 million.

The busy start to the year has also been boosted by the news that British Airways will soon start flying from Stansted when it launches flights to the popular destinations of Faro, Malaga, Palma and Ibiza from 28 May.

Cargo tonnage at Stansted grew by 10% in January compared to the same month in 2015. The annual total increased to over 238,000 tonnes, up 4.4% on the previous 12 months.

Andrew Harrison, Stansted’s Managing Director, said: “We have begun the new year very much as we ended 2015, with record numbers of passengers enjoying the vast range of destinations available from Stansted. Despite January traditionally being one of the quietest months of the year, Stansted continues to attract an increasing number of passengers from across London and the east of England.

“In a further boost to growth, it’s great news we will soon welcome British Airways to Stansted with the launch of its first ever scheduled flights from the airport. We are committed to increasing choice and providing our passengers with a broader range of airlines so these new services to popular holiday hotspots are another step in the right direction as we continue to grow our route network across Europe and North America.”