A bird’s eye view of Stansted in Covid-19 times

LONDON - London Stansted airport has released unique drone footage showing how it is managing the challenge of finding parking spaces for almost 100 aircraft which have been grounded following the Covid-19 pandemic. Only a handful of passengers and essential cargo fly in and out of the idle Stadsted airfield.

The reduced operation at what is usually the UK`s fourth busiest airport meant an Essex Police drone, based at Stansted, was able to safely launch and capture the bird`s-eye view of the airfield at a time which would normally be the peak of the flying day.

The footage shows almost all of the airport`s passenger stands occupied by aircraft which would usually be carrying passengers to around 200 destinations across Europe and beyond. It also shows aircraft parked on the north side of the airfield, which usually houses London Stansted’s busy private and charter aviation operation.

"Usually at this time of year we’d see more than 500 flights a day, but this unprecedented situation means we are faced with a different challenge of ensuring there is space for these aircraft on the ground and that airlines can continue to maintain them," said Stansted Operations Director Nick Millar.

Cargo and MRO keep airport open

Despite most airlines suspending almost all passenger operations, there are still some flights operating in an out of London Stansted, with a handful of passenger flights a day and the airport’s cargo operations continuing to bring vital supplies into the UK.


Airlines are also using the opportunity to carry out essential maintenance on their aircraft and are expected to continue some limited flying to keep their aircraft and crews current so operations can return to normal as quickly as possible once restrictions are lifted.