National Express has retained the contract to provide daily services between Stansted Airport and major UK cities after winning a tender process managed by the airport’s owners, Manchester Airports Group (MAG).
As part of the five-year deal, National Express will continue to serve 20 London locations and regional destinations such as Birmingham, Cambridge, Leicester, Luton, Norwich, Milton Keynes and Oxford.
New routes and increased frequencies will be added to satisfy the terms of the bid.
The operator has provided connections to Stansted since 2003 and last won an extension of the contract in 2019.
The 45-minute service between central London and Stansted now operates more than 100 times daily.
The news follows the announcement last week that airport transfer specialist Flibco will deliver a new scheduled service between Stansted Airport and central London in partnership with a partner operator.
Last year, National Express began trials to operate a Yutong’s GTe14 battery-electric coach between London and Stansted Airport.
Alex Jensen, Chief Executive Officer at National Express, says: “We are pleased to continue our partnership with London Stansted Airport.
“This win is a reflection of our experience, expertise and dedication to providing high-quality public transport services for our partners and customers.
“With hundreds of services running day and night to Stansted Airport, customers are repeatedly choosing us because they know we’re the most reliable, affordable and convenient option, with our brilliant coach drivers taking them right to the airport terminal door.
“We’re proud to play a part in Stansted’s expansion plans and look forward to many years of service delivery and growth.”