Stansted Airport has celebrated a record-breaking September as 2.71 million passengers poured through the gates for a late summer break in the sun.

The off-peak record beat a previous one set in September 2018 by more than 31,000 passengers, said airport owners.

The most popular destinations were Palma de Mallorca, Alicante, Malaga, Antalya, and Faro while Dublin, Istanbul, Edinburgh, Belfast, and Rome the most in-demand short break and city destinations.

Spain, Italy, and Turkey topped the list of most popular countries.

Operational performance was during strong - with 100% of passengers passing safely through security in 15 minutes or less and with an average queue time of less than two minutes during main departure peaks, said airport bosses.

Airport passengers numbers have risen by 7.2% over the 12 months to September compared to the previous year.

Chief operations officer Jon Fowler said he was delighted they had been able to deliver "a very strong and reliable level of customer service".

“Hot on the heels of London Stansted’s busiest ever peak summer season, we once again welcomed a record-breaking number of passengers in September as our extensive range of around 200 destinations, and reliable and efficient airport operation continued to drive strong demand from people wanting to fly from their local airport," he said.

“The possibilities to travel affordably and flexibly from London Stansted provide people with fantastic choices, whether they are flying away for a late summer holiday or ‘weekenders’ jetting off to explore some of Europe’s most iconic cities on a short break.

“And we also continue to welcome tens of thousands of overseas visitors who really appreciate the excellent value and convenient access we offer that makes Stansted the obvious choice when wishing to visit the great cities of London and Cambridge, and the wider Eastern region, on their holidays.

The airport is now expecting another upturn as half-term holidays near at the end of the month.

(Image: Melvyn Nice/Stansted Airport) Jon Fowler (Image: Stansted Airport)