Stansted to replace transit trains

London Stansted Airport is preparing for a major change to the way passengers move between its main terminal and departure gates, with new covered "Skylink" walkways set to replace the airport's ageing transit system.

The project forms part of Stansted's wider transformation programme and is designed to create a simpler journey through the airport as passenger numbers continue to grow.

The new links will connect the main terminal directly with the airport's satellite gate buildings, allowing passengers to walk between different areas instead of relying on the automated transit trains that have operated at Stansted for more than three decades.

Travelators will help passengers cover the distance more comfortably, while the design will also accommodate airport assistance buggies.

For millions of passengers who travel through Stansted every year, the changes should eventually make getting to and from aircraft gates more straightforward.

One of the biggest changes will be the eventual removal of Stansted's existing Track Transit System.

The automated people mover dates back to 1991 and has become a familiar part of the airport experience for passengers travelling to some of Stansted's satellite gates.

Although innovative when introduced, the system is now more than 30 years old.

Replacing it with permanent pedestrian links will remove passengers' dependence on waiting for a transit train and should create a more continuous journey between the terminal and gates.

The removal of the transit infrastructure will have another important benefit.

Space currently occupied by the system can be incorporated into Stansted's wider terminal redevelopment, helping the airport accommodate increasing passenger numbers.

The new Skylinks will essentially be enclosed passenger corridors connecting the main terminal with Stansted's satellite buildings.

However, they will involve considerably more than ordinary airport corridors.

The walkways are being designed with moving travelators, helping passengers cover longer distances without having to walk the entire way.

There will also be sufficient space for assistance buggies, an important consideration for passengers with reduced mobility or those who require additional support navigating the airport.

The objective is to create a more predictable passenger journey.

Rather than arriving at a transit station, waiting for a train and then travelling to another part of the airport, passengers will be able to continue directly towards their gate.

Building substantial new structures inside a busy international airport presents an obvious challenge: Stansted needs to remain operational throughout the construction programme.

The airport has therefore developed a construction strategy intended to reduce disruption to passengers and airlines.

Significant sections of the new Skylinks are expected to be assembled away from the passenger terminal in a nearby aircraft hangar.

Once sections are ready, they can be transported into position during carefully planned overnight operations.

This approach reduces the amount of major construction that needs to take place immediately alongside passengers and aircraft during normal operating hours.

Contractor Farrans has been appointed to deliver the project.

The company has experience working in operational airport environments, where construction schedules must be coordinated around aircraft movements, passengers, security requirements and businesses that operate around the clock.

The Skylinks are only one element of a much larger programme of investment at London Stansted.

The airport is undergoing a major transformation backed by approximately £1.1 billion of investment, intended to increase capacity while improving the passenger experience.

Central to those plans is a substantial expansion of the terminal.

Additional space is expected to provide more seating as well as an expanded selection of shops, restaurants and bars.

Passenger facilities and operational areas will also be redesigned as Stansted prepares for further growth.

The airport has ambitions to increase annual passenger capacity significantly, potentially reaching approximately 51 million passengers a year in the future.

If that growth is achieved, Stansted's importance within the UK's airport network will increase considerably.

London Stansted has become one of Britain's most important airports, particularly for short-haul European travel.

Its extensive low-cost airline network connects London and southeast England with destinations across Europe and beyond.

Growth in passenger numbers means the original terminal infrastructure increasingly needs to accommodate volumes considerably greater than those envisaged when parts of the airport were designed.

Simply adding more flights is not enough.

Security, baggage handling, seating, shops, restaurants, gate access and ground transportation all need sufficient capacity to deal with additional passengers.

The Skylink project addresses one particularly important part of that process: moving large numbers of people efficiently between the main terminal and aircraft gates.

Replacing an automated railway with walkways may initially sound like a technological step backwards.

In practice, the airport believes the new system can provide advantages.

Transit systems introduce additional stages into the passenger journey. Travellers must reach a station, wait for a train, board and then leave at the appropriate satellite building.

A continuous pedestrian connection removes some of those stages.

Travelators can reduce the physical effort required, while passengers who prefer to walk can continue moving at their own pace.

There is also less dependence on mechanical transit vehicles operating to a timetable.

For an airport handling tens of millions of passengers annually, even relatively small improvements to passenger flow can have a substantial cumulative effect.

Large airports can be challenging environments for passengers with reduced mobility.

Distances between check-in areas, security and departure gates can be significant, particularly at airports where gates are spread across separate satellite buildings.

Stansted's decision to provide space for assistance buggies within the Skylinks is therefore an important element of the project.

Moving walkways should also make longer distances easier for passengers carrying hand luggage, families travelling with children and older travellers.

The effectiveness of the new arrangement will ultimately depend on the final distances, layout and how smoothly passengers can move between different parts of the terminal.

The project is another example of how airports are increasingly focusing on the complete passenger journey rather than simply runway and aircraft capacity.

For passengers, an airport experience begins well before boarding.

Travelling to the terminal, checking in, clearing security, finding somewhere to sit and reaching the departure gate all contribute to how easy or stressful a journey feels.

The same applies after landing.

Efficient movement from the arrival gate through immigration and baggage reclaim can make a substantial difference, particularly after a long flight.

Stansted hopes the combination of new terminal facilities and redesigned connections to satellite gates will improve both sides of that journey.

Construction activity is beginning during summer 2026, although the project will be delivered in stages.

Passengers should not expect the existing transit system to disappear immediately.

The airport needs to maintain normal operations while new infrastructure is constructed, installed and brought into use.

The use of off-site assembly and overnight installation is specifically intended to limit disruption during this transition.

Stansted's Capital Delivery Programme Director Rob Stewart has described the Skylinks as a "vital component" of the airport's wider transformation.

As work progresses, passengers will gradually begin to see the physical changes associated with one of Stansted's largest redevelopment programmes in decades.

London Stansted's distinctive terminal and satellite arrangement has served the airport for decades, but the demands being placed on it are changing.

The replacement of the 1991 transit system is particularly symbolic.

Infrastructure that once represented a modern solution to airport passenger movement is now making way for a different approach based on direct pedestrian connections, moving walkways and improved accessibility.

Combined with the wider terminal expansion, new passenger facilities and plans for substantial growth, the project could make Stansted look and feel very different in the years ahead.

For passengers, however, the objective is considerably simpler: less waiting, easier movement through the airport and a more straightforward journey between the terminal and the aircraft.

Written by Airports Transfer for passengers travelling to and from London airports.