All those waiting eagerly for quite sometime were thrilled to see the opening of the brand new terminal extension at Stansted Airport, a £50 million project. During the early hours on the 1st of July, phase I of the recently extended terminal let its gates open to the travelers. The refurbishment consists of an additional 6,000 square metre of space for passengers who arrive at the airport. Amazingly, about 1,500 tonne of steel was used to develop this infrastructure. The facility also features a sixth baggage reclaim belt in addition to an ample extra desk space for immigration control.

Stansted's strategy director, Nick Barton, noted, "At peak times we can expect over 3300 arriving passengers an hour through the terminal. With this new extension we are continuing to provide the best possible facilities for passengers. The installation of a state of the art biomass heating boiler will mean the new extension is carbon-neutral, to emphasize the commitment of Stansted to diminish the terminal's environmental impact. We take great pride in introducing biomass technology that will ensure this new development will be carbon-neutral."

The project is still underway and as part of the ongoing developments, more number of new shops and highly equipped and more comfortable waiting areas for accommodating friends and relatives are to open in addition to new and improvised transport facilities. The further developments are expected to be launched by December 2008, assuring to bestow a new and enhanced look to the airport.