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BBC News
a day ago
- Business
- BBC News
London Stansted Airport submits expansion plans in Essex
London Stansted Airport has submitted an expansion plan that could dramatically increase its passenger to 51 million people a year could pass through the Essex terminal if approved, making it the UK's second busiest was no plan to build a second runway or exceed its limit of 274,000 annual flights, the owner, Manchester Airports Group, said, but better use would be made of the existing runway and rail and road access would be improved. "We have an exciting and ambitious vision for London Stansted and how we best serve our region," added managing director Gareth Powell. The airport has already started work on a £1.1bn expansion approved by the government in October attracted record-breaking numbers of jet-setters in 2024, with 29.3 million people taking flight in the year to September. Stansted's latest plan, submitted to Uttlesford District Council, sought to further increase its passenger capacity to between 48 and 51 million per year by also included improving access from junction eight of the M11, as well as bus and rail services. About 4,500 new jobs would be created if approved, Stansted said, adding its infrastructure would be fully powered by renewable than 2,800 people and bodies have responded to consultations about the included Hertfordshire County Council, which urged Stansted to halt its expansion over concerns about air quality and noise authority, which governs an area bordering the airport, said it wanted detailed evidence about how those issues could be Powell said he "listened carefully" to all representations."Making the best use of our existing runway will help create more jobs and training schemes, better facilities for passengers, and provide more seats to an even greater choice of destinations," he said."I'm asking for local people to lend their support so we can make this plan a reality." Follow Essex news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
The Guardian
10-05-2025
- The Guardian
Britons increasingly swapping Med's busy hotspots for ‘destination dupes'
It will take more than a TikTok trend to break Britons' love affair with Mediterranean beaches. But latest figures show travellers are increasingly swapping Málaga for North Macedonia and Benidorm for the Balkans as part of a social media craze for 'destination dupes'. Flights from the UK to Bosnia and Herzegovina soared by 284% in 2024 compared with the previous year, while trips to Montenegro increased by 164%. Getaways to Albania – billed by some as 'the new Croatia' – rose by 61%, according to an analysis of Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) data. Experts say the appetite for lesser-known destinations is being driven by influencers promoting holiday 'dupes' – locations that offer the same Insta-friendly scenery for a smaller budget. The travel blogger Tara Tadlock, who has nearly 15,000 followers on Instagram, said the trend was inspired by a post-Covid burst of adventure as well as the cost of living crisis, as holidaymakers hunt for bargains. 'In the summer months accommodation prices spike … some restaurants will change their menus and charge extra,' she said. 'The cost of living is a huge driver. I also think people are looking to get away from the crowds because there's so many places now that are so congested with tourists.' The CAA data, analysed by Manchester Airports Group, also revealed that the number of flights to Azerbaijan had more than doubled between 2023 and 2024. Four African countries – Tunisia, Rwanda, Morocco and Ghana – also made the top 10 largest increases in flights from the UK over the same period. On TikTok, influencers with tens of thousands of followers promote trips to the slopes of Bansko, Bulgaria, instead of the costly French Alps, or a city break in the capital of Podgorica over crowded Athens and Budapest. The term 'destination dupes' was coined by the travel firm Expedia in 2023. Experts spotted that influencers were sharing 'duplicate destinations' in a similar way to imitations of designer clothing, another TikTok trend. It is not just gen Z travellers broadening their horizons, however. The CAA figures showed that millennials and their parents made up the bulk of the passengers heading to the Balkans. Under-25s comprised one in five of those arriving in Albania and 13% of those flying to Montenegro. The increased demand for lesser-known destinations is also explained by Covid-19, which experts believe changed how many people travel. While visits to tourist hotspots have bounced back – in part driven by an urge to tick off bucket list locations – other holidaymakers are avoiding the crowds. Research by Experian found that 76% of boomers – born between 1946 and 1964 – prioritise quieter places compared with gen Z (40%). However, the younger generation tend to be much more inspired by online influencers (41% v 5%) in the search for adventures. Tadlock said she expected Albania to become 'the new Croatia' as it has the stunning scenery without Croatia's overtourism problem. 'The experience I think is a little dampened when you have to wait in line for two hours,' she said. 'I do also think that consumers are thinking more about sustainability and the effects of tourism or like just the impact of travel in general.' Andrew Macmillan, the chief strategy officer at Manchester Airports Group, which also operates London Stansted and East Midlands airports, said social media was increasingly driving the flights it offers. 'We have undoubtedly seen the true power of social media when it comes to influencing where people choose to travel to,' he said. 'Since 2019, the rise in popularity of platforms like TikTok has resulted in hidden gem destinations becoming not so hidden, which in turn has driven a surge in trips to these places.' Yet while some Britons were ready to roam, old habits die hard. Tenerife remained the most popular holiday destination from the UK in 2024, with 3 million passengers, followed by Málaga, Mallorca and Alicante. Bosnia and Herzegovina, in comparison, had 80,000 visits after an almost threefold increase, while Albania received just under a million passengers and Montenegro had more than 220,000. By Mary Novakovich If British tourists are bypassing Benidorm in favour of Bosnia and Herzegovina, they're evidently in search of something well beyond the average beach holiday. For a start, Bosnia's 12-mile sliver of the Adriatic coast at Neum – rather like that of Benidorm – is a concrete strip of sprawling resort hotels and crowded pebbly beaches. But you don't come to Bosnia for the beaches – why would you when you have the jaw-dropping beauty of the Dinaric Alps, towering waterfalls, dramatic river canyons and some of Europe's most captivating cities? Rather than join the crowds in Neum, head inland about 25 miles to the serene Hutovo Blato nature reserve, one of the most important wetlands in south-eastern Europe. Take a boat ride through the waterways and marshes of the reserve, keeping an eye out for the broad range of birdlife – herons, shrikes, cormorants, buntings, terns – before cooling off with a swim in Svitavsko Lake. From here, it's about a 40-minute drive to one of the Herzegovina region's greatest natural wonders, Kravica waterfalls, whose cascades thunder through rich greenery into the River Trebižat. Swim near the foot of the waterfall, or check out other river swimming spots including the clear waters of Božjak. If you haven't brought a picnic, the waterside restaurants serving grilled meat and fish will keep you well fed at ridiculously affordable prices. This sets the stage for the sheer drama of Una national park, the largest in Bosnia, and most of which runs alongside the natural border formed by the River Una with Croatia. The Una has an almost magical hold on the hearts of people on both sides of the border, and over the course of 76 sq miles it dips and falls and crashes through thickly wooded slopes and fertile green plains. One of the park's stars is Štrbački Buk, a towering waterfall where fearless tour guides on white-water rafting trips jump from the top and survive to tell the tale. There's more to come further south at Martin Brod, the biggest collection of waterfalls in the park. Bosnia's cities are just as compelling. Sarajevo, the capital, is endlessly fascinating, especially when you stand on pedestrianised Ferhadija street, with 19th-century Habsburg architecture to your left and the 16th-century Ottoman quarter to your right. Squeezed into this old Turkish Baščaršija quarter are cobbled lanes of coppersmiths, silversmiths, restaurants, courtyard gardens, an old caravanserai and Bosnia's largest mosque, Gazi Husrev-beg. As the city marks 30 years since the end of the 1992-95 war, it's an apt time to visit the Museum of Crimes Against Humanity and Genocide and the Siege of Sarajevo Museum. Herzegovina's chief city, Mostar, is a popular – often too popular – destination for day-trippers from Dubrovnik. But it's hard to resist the magnificence of its reconstructed 16th-century Ottoman bridge, Stari Most, the emblem of the city. Once the crowds are gone, you can amble through the old Ottoman quarter at a more relaxed pace. From here it's less than a half-hour drive to the extraordinary sight of the 16th-century Sufi lodge Blagaj Tekke, which was ingeniously built into a limestone gorge by the source of the River Buna. You won't find that in Benidorm.
The Independent
01-03-2025
- Business
- The Independent
Could the idea of a second runway at Stansted take off?
Q We've heard new runway plans for Heathrow and Gatwick airports this week. I live near Stansted and am interested, both as a local and a user, whether talk of a second runway is now dead in the water. Chris B A I feel I have been covering the debate about airport expansion in southeast England almost since the dawn of time, and have surveyed all the possible locations for new runways. Stansted airport, northeast of London, is the third biggest serving the capital after Heathrow and Gatwick. In terms of resilience and smooth operations, the Essex airport could certainly use a second runway. Its sister airport, Manchester, handles roughly the same number of passengers – 30 million annually – and has two runways. Manchester Airports Group owns both facilities, and knows the advantages of having extra capacity. But it has no intention in the next decade or two to begin the long, expensive and uncertain process involved in seeking permission to build a second runway at Stansted. Like other single-runway airports in southeast England, though, Stansted plans to increase flights and passengers to extract more productivity from its precious strip of asphalt. In September 2024 the airport announced an upgrade that includes extending the main terminal, improving one of the two slightly odd satellites and making the taxiways more efficient. In addition, surface access should improve with upgrades on the road link from the M11 motorway and the Stansted Express rail service from central London. All of this is intended to boost annual passenger numbers by as much as 70 per cent by the early 2040s to 51 million. For comparison, Gatwick currently files about 45 million passengers a year. So Stansted will certainly be busier, and the hope is that there would be much more choice beyond the current range of European destinations (and proportionally less reliance on the dominant airline, Ryanair). From a passenger perspective, you can expect more choice and competition. Q Our daughter is working in Kobe, Japan, for five months. We want to go out and see her for about 10 days in late April. Can you recommend where to visit in wider Japan? We will be flying from Manchester airport. Gary R A Ten days is just long enough to make the most of a slice of Japan. As long as you don't try to squeeze too much in, you are guaranteed a fun and fascinating visit. I shall start with flights. Fly outbound to Kansai – the amazing island airport, very close to Kobe. But buy open-jaw tickets, travelling inbound from Tokyo (choose the capital's handy Haneda airport rather than distant Narita if you possibly can). To keep the journey time as short as possible, and the cost down, consider a Chinese airline. Carriers from the People's Republic fly over Russia between the UK and east Asia, sharply reducing the flight time compared with Western airlines. Kobe is an excellent introduction to Japan: a medium-sized port city, with plenty of interest. It is also conveniently close to the imperial marvels of Kyoto and the smaller and even prettier Nara. You will be there at the end of the cherry blossom season, and hopefully the trees will still be putting on a show. Next stop, by the hyperefficient bullet train or a cheaper coach: Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park, a great location to appreciate the volcanic landscape. A high-speed narrow-gauge train will then whisk you to Tokyo, where you could easily spend a further 10 days without seeing everything. My highlights in a city where simply wandering is a constant joy: Shinjuku, the highest-rise quarter, a study in human hyperactivity. The Imperial Palace East Gardens, a study in order. And the retro, 1960s science-fiction monorail out to Haneda airport – a fitting way to end your journey. Q I read about the Australian couple who had to sit next to a deceased fellow passenger for hours on a flight to Qatar. Do airlines have protocols for this sort of tragic situation? Name supplied A This sad event took place on a scheduled Qatar Airways flight from Melbourne to Doha, a journey of about 14 hours. The couple, Mitchell Ring and Jennifer Colin, were en route to a holiday in Italy when a woman collapsed in the aisle after going to the restroom. Accounts say that the cabin crew performed professionally and courageously in trying to revive the passenger, which is in line with the advice of the International Air Transport Association (Iata). Cabin crew are required to continue CPR until turbulence or other flight-safety issues intervene; or until the aircraft has landed and care is transferred to emergency medical services; or they are too exhausted to continue; or – as in this case, the person is presumed dead. If there is an onboard death, the first concern is naturally with the dignity of the deceased and the care of anyone travelling with them. The key issue is how best to deal with the person. They are generally seated, with the seat belt fastened, away from other passengers, and covered with a blanket. On a full flight, it is a particularly difficult situation; the Iata advice is: 'If the aircraft is full, put the person back into his/her own seat, or at the crew's discretion, into another area not obstructing an aisle or exit.' In this case, it appears that seats were available, and if so it is surprising that the couple were not both moved. Why didn't the aircraft divert? Well, diversions for medical emergencies happen fairly frequently, often with positive results. But in the case of a confirmed onboard death, standard practice is to continue with the flight. While that might seem uncaring, the alternative at the stage of the Qatar Airways journey when the woman passed away would be to divert to an airport in southern India – probably Kochi or Mumbai. That would have caused massive logistical problems for the airline and its passengers, few of whom would have permission to enter India, and yet all of whom would be stuck because the crew would have run 'out of hours'. Q Has all the money and time spent on the upgraded security scanners at UK airports achieved anything? Chris McM A Most airline passengers find the worst part of any journey is the airport security check on departure – in particular, the meagre limit on LAGs (liquids, aerosols and gels) in cabin baggage, as well as the obligation to extract electronics such as laptops and tablets. The liquids rules were introduced hastily worldwide in 2006 as 'a temporary measure' to protect against explosives being assembled on board planes. Despite repeated promises to lift them, they remain in place. After a series of extended deadlines, all the major UK airports were supposed to have fancy new scanners in place by June 2024 that allowed up to two litres of liquids and for devices to remain in place. They use computed tomography – the same technology as medical scanners – to analyse the molecular structure of the contents of a passenger's bag. Some airports complied with the deadline but the big four UK hubs – Heathrow, Gatwick, Manchester and Stansted – were running behind. All of which proved irrelevant because progress in aviation security actually went into reverse. Last midsummer, the Department for Transport ordered airports with the new equipment to restore the old 100ml limit on LAGs. This was described at the time as a 'temporary move' to 'enable further improvements to be made to the new checkpoint systems'. The new equipment appears to be misidentifying many innocuous items in passengers' baggage as posing a threat. The reintroduction of the old rules mean that the new scanners can pass bags that would otherwise be rejected. The aim is to speed up the process and reduce queues. In practice, the tens of millions of pounds spent on new equipment has made life slightly easier: bags of toiletries and laptops generally do not need to be extracted when your possessions go through one of the new scanners. But in aviation security, 'temporary' can be a long, long time.
