Flight radar London Stansted Airport
The radar above is centred on London Stansted (STN) in Essex, about 30 miles north-east of central London. Click any aircraft for its flight number, route and altitude.
Stansted in short
Stansted is London’s third airport and the largest base of Ryanair. The majority of movements you see on the radar are Boeing 737s in Ryanair colours. Alongside the passenger schedule, Stansted is one of the UK’s busiest cargo airports, so the radar stays interesting at night: FedEx, UPS and other freighters keep the single runway busy long after the last holiday flight has left.
History
Stansted opened in 1943 as a wartime bomber base and became a commercial passenger airport in the 1960s. The distinctive terminal designed by Norman Foster opened in 1991 and the airport grew into the low-cost gateway for London and the East of England.
Watching Stansted on the radar
The rhythm at Stansted is quick turnarounds: watch a 737 land, taxi in, and reappear on the radar 30–40 minutes later heading somewhere else in Europe. Late evening brings waves of returning holiday flights; after midnight the freighters take over.
Frequently asked questions
Is Stansted only Ryanair? No: Jet2, easyJet and others also operate here, but Ryanair dominates.
How do I get flight status? Use the live arrivals and departures boards.
Why so many planes at night? Cargo flights: Stansted is a major freight hub.