Guide to London Stansted Airport
London Stansted is a major airport in the United Kingdom for low cost carriers, mainly EasyJet and Ryanair. Ryanair have a huge operation there with around 120 departures each day through the summer months. London Stansted is frequently visited by airlines such as Air Berlin, BmiBaby, Germanwings, Pegasus Airlines amongst many others which cannot be seen at the majority of airports in the United Kingdom. The airport is also one of the largest cargo bases in the country and often handles aircraft such as the McDonnell Douglas MD-11, Boeing 777 and often sees the Boeing 747, operated by several cargo carriers.
All of this sounds great, however London Stansted is limited with the amount of areas to view from and are not as close to the runway as many airports due to the size of the airport. As London Stansted is owned by BAA this is a situation that is very unlikely to change, however BAA is being forced to sell the airport. London Stansted is still however an exceptionally good airport to view aircraft, considering its size. There are several spots that aircraft can clearly be seen, photographed or videoed.
Unfortunately there are a few bumbs and slopes in the terrain meaning the runway cannot be seen from a few areas, however aircraft navigation on the aprons, taxiways and on the runway can be seen clearly from nearly all areas. Despite the fact that there are a few of ways London Stansted could be improved for plane spotters, it's probably the best airport to spot at in the London area and the Southeast of England. This is because the airport is located in a fairly rural location and airport staff don't seem to have any problems with plane spotters, as long as there is no suspcious behavior and emergency gates are kept clear.
It's definitely worth visiting London Stansted a few times a year to view the exciting aircraft it operates. Do not let the slight disadvantages like the distance from the runway or the slightly uneven terrain put you off visiting the airport, it's not a huge problem at all!
There is also a Plane Watch Scheme run for regular spotters by Essex Police. Information for which can be found here
All of this sounds great, however London Stansted is limited with the amount of areas to view from and are not as close to the runway as many airports due to the size of the airport. As London Stansted is owned by BAA this is a situation that is very unlikely to change, however BAA is being forced to sell the airport. London Stansted is still however an exceptionally good airport to view aircraft, considering its size. There are several spots that aircraft can clearly be seen, photographed or videoed.
Unfortunately there are a few bumbs and slopes in the terrain meaning the runway cannot be seen from a few areas, however aircraft navigation on the aprons, taxiways and on the runway can be seen clearly from nearly all areas. Despite the fact that there are a few of ways London Stansted could be improved for plane spotters, it's probably the best airport to spot at in the London area and the Southeast of England. This is because the airport is located in a fairly rural location and airport staff don't seem to have any problems with plane spotters, as long as there is no suspcious behavior and emergency gates are kept clear.
It's definitely worth visiting London Stansted a few times a year to view the exciting aircraft it operates. Do not let the slight disadvantages like the distance from the runway or the slightly uneven terrain put you off visiting the airport, it's not a huge problem at all!
There is also a Plane Watch Scheme run for regular spotters by Essex Police. Information for which can be found here
Radio Frequencies
Essex Radar: 120.625
Stansted Director: 126.950
Tower: 123.800
Ground: 121.725
Clearance Delivery: 121.950
ATIS: 127.175
Stansted Director: 126.950
Tower: 123.800
Ground: 121.725
Clearance Delivery: 121.950
ATIS: 127.175
Links 
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London Stansted Airport Weather
All times on the weather descriptions are local
Observed at 07:50 - (7 mins ago)
-1°C
Mist
Clouds: Broken Clouds at 200ft, Overcast at 1,100ft
Wind: 150° at 08 knots
Visibility: 2,300m
QNH: 1024
Dew Point: -1°C
Runway in Use: Likely Runway 22
Movements
A sample of the upcoming movements for London Stansted.
March 2012
Tue 27th
- 3x weekly service to Turku (737-800)
May 2012
Wed 2nd
- New 4x weekly service to Paphos (B738)
June 2012
Fri 1st
- Untitled -
New Service- New Icelandic budget airline WOW Air is to launch flights between Reykjavik and Stansted next summer. The service will operate three times a week (Monday-Wednesday-Sunday) using Airbus A320 aircraft.
Spot A - Green Street
This spot is just off Green Street, in a field (use the map to view directions to get there). This spot is at the north east end of the runway, therefore aircraft arriving on runway 22 or departing from runway 04 will pass over the field. This location is only worth visiting to view arrivals to runway 22, as departures from runway 04 are much higher up by the time the pass over the field. Thankfully runway 22 is used much more often (about 70% of the time).
You can get some excellent shots of aircraft arriving on runway 22 and some reasonable ones of runway 04 departures. Unfortunately barely any ground shots can be had from here as the runway is fairly set back with a very slight hill and the perimeter fence in the way. Despite this, aircraft can still be seen on the some taxiways, on the runway, touching down and taking off. This location is quite far from any major road so you can get some excellent video footage which is not ruined by road/motoway noise and giving this spot a calm and peaceful atmosphere.
There is plenty of space to park your car at the end of the road and there are no car parking charges or restrictions. You can stay here as long as you like as the airport staff don't have any problems with you being there unless you don't keep the emergency gate clear, so you're extremely unlikely to be told to move away.
You can get some excellent shots of aircraft arriving on runway 22 and some reasonable ones of runway 04 departures. Unfortunately barely any ground shots can be had from here as the runway is fairly set back with a very slight hill and the perimeter fence in the way. Despite this, aircraft can still be seen on the some taxiways, on the runway, touching down and taking off. This location is quite far from any major road so you can get some excellent video footage which is not ruined by road/motoway noise and giving this spot a calm and peaceful atmosphere.
There is plenty of space to park your car at the end of the road and there are no car parking charges or restrictions. You can stay here as long as you like as the airport staff don't have any problems with you being there unless you don't keep the emergency gate clear, so you're extremely unlikely to be told to move away.
Sat Nav Co-ordinates
(Some locations may not be next to a road but the sat nav should get you pretty close using these co-ordinates)
Latitude: N51° 54' 1" (N51° 54.017')
Longitude: E0° 15' 26" (E0° 15.429')
Photos
Spot B - Belmer Road
This spot is just off Belmer Road, immediately behind the row of trees (use the map to view directions to get there). This area is to the north west of the airport where aircraft will arrive, depart and taxi infront of you. The benefit of this spot is that it's very good for both runway directions, however runway 22 is slightly better, mainly because the majority of the airport activity is closer to you.
You can get some reasonable ground shots and some excellent arrival and departure shots from here. In a few places this spot is elevated enough so you can see over the perimeter fence with no problems. It may be beneficial though to take a small step ladder just to raise you that extra 3 feet or so to allow you to see over the fence in all areas. The fence is not a problem for just viewing the aircraft, it just makes photography more difficult to gain at a higher standard, it's also possible though to fit a camera lens through the gaps in the fence. This location is also not too close to any major road meaning you can get some fantastic video footage which is not ruined by road/motorway noise and giving this spot a calm and peaceful atmosphere.
This spot has plenty of car parking, at the side of Belmer Road, and there are no car parking charges or restrictions. The airport staff have no issues with you being there, so you can stay as long as you like with no problems at all.
This is probably the best spot that London Stansted has to offer and it's likely you'll be very satisfied here. Although not a tourist/visitor attraction, many people take fold up deck chairs and blankets to sit on as well as flasks of hot drinks or a picnic to this area as you can get an excellent day out here.
Focal Length: 70mm
Focal Length: 70mm
You can get some reasonable ground shots and some excellent arrival and departure shots from here. In a few places this spot is elevated enough so you can see over the perimeter fence with no problems. It may be beneficial though to take a small step ladder just to raise you that extra 3 feet or so to allow you to see over the fence in all areas. The fence is not a problem for just viewing the aircraft, it just makes photography more difficult to gain at a higher standard, it's also possible though to fit a camera lens through the gaps in the fence. This location is also not too close to any major road meaning you can get some fantastic video footage which is not ruined by road/motorway noise and giving this spot a calm and peaceful atmosphere.
This spot has plenty of car parking, at the side of Belmer Road, and there are no car parking charges or restrictions. The airport staff have no issues with you being there, so you can stay as long as you like with no problems at all.
This is probably the best spot that London Stansted has to offer and it's likely you'll be very satisfied here. Although not a tourist/visitor attraction, many people take fold up deck chairs and blankets to sit on as well as flasks of hot drinks or a picnic to this area as you can get an excellent day out here.
Sat Nav Co-ordinates
(Some locations may not be next to a road but the sat nav should get you pretty close using these co-ordinates)
Latitude: N51° 53' 33" (N51° 53.546')
Longitude: E0° 14' 25" (E0° 14.414')
Photos
Focal Length: 70mm
Focal Length: 70mm
Spot C - Long Border Road
This spot is just off Long Border Road, close to the Hilton hotel (use the map to view directions to get there). This spot is at the south west end of the runway, therefore aircraft arriving on runway 04 or departing from runway 22 will pass over this area. This location is best to view arrivals to runway 04.
You can get some excellent shots of aircraft arriving on runway 04 and some fairly good ones of runway 22 departures. Ground shots can also be had from here although aircraft are not very close and do not often taxi beyond taxiway K. This area is elevated and is not at all obstructed by trees or the perimetre fence, making ground shots much easier to get. This spot is not too far off some major roads including the A120 and so video footage can very occasionally be disturbed by road/motorway noise.
This area is very restricted to where you can park your car, the best two options are to park at the Hilton hotel or Long stay car park. This of course means car parking requires a charge but isn't restricted. You can stay here as long as you like as airport staff don't have any problems with you being there, so you're extremely unlikely to be told to move away.
You can get some excellent shots of aircraft arriving on runway 04 and some fairly good ones of runway 22 departures. Ground shots can also be had from here although aircraft are not very close and do not often taxi beyond taxiway K. This area is elevated and is not at all obstructed by trees or the perimetre fence, making ground shots much easier to get. This spot is not too far off some major roads including the A120 and so video footage can very occasionally be disturbed by road/motorway noise.
This area is very restricted to where you can park your car, the best two options are to park at the Hilton hotel or Long stay car park. This of course means car parking requires a charge but isn't restricted. You can stay here as long as you like as airport staff don't have any problems with you being there, so you're extremely unlikely to be told to move away.
Sat Nav Co-ordinates
(Some locations may not be next to a road but the sat nav should get you pretty close using these co-ordinates)
Latitude: N51° 52' 28" (N51° 52.461')
Longitude: E0° 12' 55" (E0° 12.916')
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Friday 2nd September, 2011 at 14:24 GMT
Thursday 25th August, 2011 at 07:56 GMT
If you want to stay close to the terminal, you leave the terminal in the south direction (to the control tower). Next to the terminal is a small pedestrian bridge (to the police station) and between the bridge and the terminal you can spot some aircraft.
Wednesday 4th May, 2011 at 21:11 GMT
Saturday 2nd October, 2010 at 12:29 GMT
Is there also place to spot within the airport building? Like a terrace or something ?
Thanx
Michel from Holland
Saturday 21st August, 2010 at 11:34 GMT
does anyone know where there is a good place to watch the planes come in close over head? I think the approch to runway 23 is a good place but I don't know where abouts that would be. Even better if someone would know where to park your car n watch them overhead,
Thanks
Monday 22nd March, 2010 at 23:24 GMT
Tuesday 2nd March, 2010 at 10:11 GMT
Thaks all
Thursday 18th February, 2010 at 19:21 GMT
Stansted Airport Police have recently set up a
Stansted Airport Plane Enthusiasts Scheme. If you would like to join or for further information, please email stanstedplanewatch@essex.pnn.police.uk.
Thank you,
PC 1731 Richard McDade & PCSO 73381 Sophie Yeulett
Stansted Airport Plane Watch Scheme
Enterprise House
Bassingborn Road
Stansted Airport
Essex Police
CM24 1PS
Tel - 01279 680298
Non Emergency - 0300 333 4444
Emergency - 999
Email - stanstedplanewatch@essex.pnn.police.uk
Monday 15th February, 2010 at 14:07 GMT
Regards to all
Wednesday 10th February, 2010 at 16:47 GMT
Sunday 3rd January, 2010 at 12:26 GMT
Further along Belmer road (heading north) about 100 odd yds on the right is a clearing, which is only 5 yds from the perimeter fence.
You can stand right next to the road-side hedge and it's elevated by about 2-3 feet overlooking the runway.
Got some good vids of my friend's plane landing on runway 23.
I had to park on the large grass verge (and scraped the underside of my car in the process, going up the kirb - could have been avoided if I was being more careful).
Friday 25th December, 2009 at 22:03 GMT
I'll travel to LHR in May next year for a week spot and I am thinking to get to STN for a day of spotting. I'd like to know more speccificaly all the spotting places to go to.
Merry Xmas all
Wednesday 23rd December, 2009 at 22:11 GMT
Tuesday 27th October, 2009 at 09:45 GMT
My name is Sophie Yeulett and I'm the PCSO for the Northside of Stansted Airport(Burton End and Stansted Airport Business Park). If you require any information regarding the airport, where you can go and what you can do please contact me. I may not be able to get onto this website very often so please email me sophie.yeulett@essex.pnn.police.uk or call me on 01279 666152.
Thanks,
Sunday 19th July, 2009 at 07:27 GMT
Saturday 18th July, 2009 at 19:27 GMT
Wednesday 8th July, 2009 at 19:14 GMT
Sunday 5th July, 2009 at 18:25 GMT
Saturday 4th July, 2009 at 17:18 GMT