London Stansted Airport record total of 24.3 million making Stansted the fourth busiest airport in the United Kingdom. Stansted also is a major freight airport, the third busiest in the UK during 2016, behind London Heathrow and East Midlands Airport, handling in excess of 223,203 tonnes per annum, although freight throughput has declined slightly from its 2005 peak level. Passenger numbers for the year to September 2016 increased by 8.4% to over 24 million for the first time since 2007. The Stansted Airport Transit System connects the terminal to the satellite buildings via a free automated people mover service which runs on dual
London Southend Airport adjacent to the airport entrance opened on 1 October 2012; owned by the Stobart Group it has the only rooftop restaurant in Essex. London Southend has been voted the best airport in Britain for three consecutive years by consumer group "Which?" in August 2013, August 2014, and again in September 2015. Southend Airport handles mainly scheduled passenger, charter, cargo and business flights, with some pilot training (both fixed-wing aircraft and helicopter) and private aircraft flying. The airport is run by London Southend Airport Co Ltd, which employs over 150 people directly. Due to expansion, there were over 500 more people