A cut in landing charges offered by Stansted Airport’s new owner has persuaded easyJet to agree on a significant increase in flights from the Essex hub over the next five years.
Stansted has struck a deal with easyJet under which the budget airline will be able to more than double its annual traffic from 2.8 million to 6 million passengers by 2018.
The pact comes after years of tension between Stansted’s former owner, BAA, and low-cost airlines over the amount of money they were obliged to pay to use the airport.
Stansted was bought in March by Manchester Airports Group, which also owns Bournemouth and East Midlands airports and has made expansion a priority.
Charlie Cornish, chief executive of Manchester Airports Group, said: “We’re working