There's numerous factors. Since EZY closed their STN base during 2020, only 4 routes have remained except for a small number of flights to Switzerland that operated this winter.

Of those, STN-GLA is probably the best recovered in terms of capacity at 20x weekly for most of the summer. It does reduce slightly to 17x weekly during peak summer before returning to 20x weekly, no doubt to make may for more lucrative summer sun routes out of GLA.

BFS and EDI routes are still a bit below their 2019 levels but they have Ryanair competition on those.

AMS is still well below pre covid frequency at usually just 2 flights daily, reduced to just 6x weekly over peak summer. It used to be up to 4 daily in 2019. The slot position in AMS with the restrictions on movements imposed by their government is probably not helping there.

Future routes and airlines at STN?
 

Does anyone know who is reasonably likely to be next to fly from STN in the near future? It is a given that FR is, and will always remain STN's largest airline by some distance, and I am sure we will continue to see expansion from them. Equally, I am sure we will see further expansion from Jet2, STN's second biggest carrier, but what about other airlines coming to STN?

Probably anyone's guess at this point. No doubt a few odds and sods but unlikely to be anything substantial until after STN-TP I would imagine.

Are there any more early morning slots available? Ryanair will just use more away based aircraft but this will limit further Jet2 expansion.

Another tweak for TUI Summer 25 schedules.

Friday Dalaman (16:45 departure) has been dropped and replaced by Freebird/TBA which now operates Sunday evening. This results in Dalaman going from 4x weekly in S24 (TUI op Mon, Thu, Fri, Freebird op Tue) to 3x weekly in S25 (TUI op Tue, Thu, Freebird op Sun).

That means there's now two gaps for new additions on Monday morning and Friday evening. My guess would be either 2x weekly Tunisia, or possibly 1x weekly Tunisia (Monday) and 1x weekly Skiathos (Friday) - Both those routes were due to start in S20 but of course didn't due to Covid.

Another possibility would be Naples as mentioned above, but I would think less likely.

Previous summers both Agadir and Bourgas have operated for a season or two. Both of these would also be strong contenders for a Monday or Friday flight. Do we have word of when Tui will officially put summer 2025 on sale?

JSI on an evening not likely - the airport closes early. However - TUI do operate Monday from other airports

Monday morning JSI and a Friday evening NBE would make the most sense. Hopefully the full programme will be on sale in the next couple of weeks. Expecting SunExpress to continue with Antalya and Tui having an allocation.

The Monday Corfu was re-timed to a 14:40 departure so whatever the new addition is will have to be back by around 13:30ish as things stand. Skiathos, Agadir, even Bulgaria would be too long for that.

I suspect you're right. I do hope that MAG will be able to do more to attract more airlines to STN further down the line- GIP have had a very successful track record in turning LGW around following the North and South Terminal transformation projects as far as airline diversification and expansion is concerned, yet MAG still haven't been able to do this quite as well as GIP have (although granted we now have a large Jet2 base which I am sure will see further expansion, as well as Emirates).

RE. the STN-TP, are there any updates on this? All seems to have gone a bit quiet on the project recently, and the terminal extension info page hasn't been updated for some time now.

STN EK Lounge
 

Anyone have any update on the new EK lounge at STN, last I heard was an April opening but not heard much lately.

Hong Kong Air Cargo
 

Hong Kong Air Cargo, I wasn't aware of the fact that this airline had commenced scheduled cargo flights to London Stansted.

The first scheduled flight by Hong Kong Air Cargo landed at London Stansted on the 04 February 2024.

The schedule for Hong Kong Air Cargo HKG-STN.

RH364 HKG 00.05 STN 10.00
RH365 STN 12.00 HKG 09.30+

Flights are operated by an Airbus 330F.

Although I have the schedule I'm not aware of the frequency.

Great news for London Stansted in securing yet another major cargo carrier to the airport and it's ever increasing cargo portfolio.

Edit...I had a look at the London Stansted Airport website and read the news article regarding Hong Kong Air Cargo. I hadn't previously read it. The article states that the frequency will initially be operated twice weekly.

Air Hong Kong
 

Hi it's up to Four a week some weeks seems to vary, also
Georgian use aB767 on a Hong Kong route more advice though.

Regards.

Adhoc not advise that should say apologies.

A great deal of the increase in HKG and China freighters to various UK airports must surely be the disruption to the Red Sea ocean freight route via Suez that has forced manufacturers in China and their European customers to use air to maintain their supply chains.

its an "ill wind" and all that.

Tui Stn
 

Looking to start Enfidha in Summer 2025 schedule.

So that's both the Monday AM and Friday PM gaps filled. Same overall capacity as S24 at 28x TUI departures per week plus 1x Freebird/Other carrier. One frequency per week each to DLM and RHO cut to make way for the Tunisia route.

I notice though the Monday Corfu in S25 gets back now at 21:50. That would be a nice little opportunity to add something like a late evening PMI or IBZ departure at say around 23:00 as they do from some of their other bases over peak summer. Doubt that will happen here though.

TUI
 

So that's both the Monday AM and Friday PM gaps filled. Same overall capacity as S24 at 28x TUI departures per week plus 1x Freebird/Other carrier. One frequency per week each to DLM and RHO cut to make way for the Tunisia route.

I notice though the Monday Corfu in S25 gets back now at 21:50. That would be a nice little opportunity to add something like a late evening PMI or IBZ departure at say around 23:00 as they do from some of their other bases over peak summer. Doubt that will happen here though.

So that's both the Monday AM and Friday PM gaps filled. Same overall capacity as S24 at 28x TUI departures per week plus 1x Freebird/Other carrier. One frequency per week each to DLM and RHO cut to make way for the Tunisia route.

I notice though the Monday Corfu in S25 gets back now at 21:50. That would be a nice little opportunity to add something like a late evening PMI or IBZ departure at say around 23:00 as they do from some of their other bases over peak summer. Doubt that will happen here though.[/QUOTE]

This is something that happens at CWL for July - September where one of the aircraft does a late night PMI on Tuesdays departing at 22:40 and arriving back at 04:20 the following morning

Don’t forget that Tui are block booking seats on SunExpress to AYT & ADB which explains the lack of Tui metal to AYT for summer 2024 and beyond. The service is featured daily to AYT peak summer 2024.