Stansted airport opens its first multi-storey car park
Stansted airport in Essex has opened a new multi-storey car park with spaces for nearly 3,000 vehicles.
The six-storey car park is within walking distance of the terminal and boosts the number of short-stay car parking spaces available at the airport to more than 7,000.
The airport has the highest use of public transport of any European airport.
About half the passengers at Stansted arrive or depart by on buses, trains or coaches, but the airport says it want to have "convenient options to suit all budgets".
Currently 28 million passengers use the airport each year and it is the fourth busiest in the UK.
Stansted has released a time-lapse video of the car park being built
The multi-story car park was the focus of a large-scale emergency exercise on 21 June.
More than 60 staff and volunteers from the airport and emergency services tested the response to how the airport would tackle an emergency situation inside the car park ahead of its opening.
London Stansted has the capability to serve 43 million passengers a year and is forecast to deliver up to 50 per cent of London’s expected passenger growth over the next decade.
The airport is currently investing £600 million which it says will significantly transform the passenger experience. It is also planning a new state-of-the-art arrivals terminal in 2020.
Last week the airport faced a setback as local councillors decided to refer to decision to expand it back to planners.