Low cost airlines welcome Stansted expansion
No-frills carriers easyJet and Ryanair Holdings both welcomed the UK government's decision to allow a second runway at Stansted.
The government's aviation White Paper chose Stansted as the site for a new runway to meet the demands of expanding air traffic in the southeast but left the possibility open for a third runway at Heathrow from 2015.
Ryanair airline welcomed a second runway for Stansted as "good news for consumers".
"By allowing for growth where the low fares airlines are, means millions more ordinary people can benefit from low fares air travel," it said.
EasyJet's CEO Ray Webster was pleased with the decision: "Of all the places where a new runway could have gone in the near term in the southeast of England, Stansted is the most obvious choice.
"It is the airport that has been identified for long-term expansion and will avoid the constraints particular to Heathrow Airport," he said.
Lutton-based easyJet currently flys to 30 destinations out of Stansted.
Ryanair operates flights to 71 destinations out of the airport.
