Stansted Airport news: journeys to and from this London airport are about to get a whole lot easier

Journeys to and from one of the UK’s busiest airports are set to be smoother before the end of the year, thanks to an extension to the contactless area around the capital.

As of Sunday 14 December, travellers can tap in and out at Stansted Airport station with their credit and debit cards as they would on a regular TFL journey. In removing the current necessity of pre-booking train travel or buying physical tickets at Liverpool Street train station, it’s possible that more of the 20-million-plus travellers who pass through the airport each year will leave their cars at home and start their escape by rail.

The news comes as the government seeks to make rail fares and tickets more convenient, accessible and flexible, following digital pay-as-you-go trials running in Barnsley, Derby, Doncaster, Harrogate, Leeds, Leicester, Nottingham and Sheffield.

The December rollout won’t just revolutionise travel to and from the airport. Fifty stations are set to be added to the tap-in-tap-out network, including Luton, Reigate, Leatherhead and Chelmsford.

Reigate is one of the pretty destinations that’ll be just a tap away for Londoners come mid-December

HerbySussex

Rail Minister Lord Peter Hendy said, “Rail ticketing is far too complicated and long overdue for an upgrade to bring it into the 21st century. Through the expansion of tap-in tap-out technology and shortly through GBR, we’re doing just that and making buying tickets more convenient, more accessible and more flexible – and ensuring passengers can get the best fares…

“…Tap-in tap-out ticketing allows passengers to use a bank card or contactless-enabled device to enter any train station, instead of manually buying individual or return tickets. The government has already rolled out this technology at 53 additional stations across the south-east, with 5.6 million journeys taken since June 2024, and more stations to follow next year.”

While Oyster cards are accepted for the Stansted Express at Liverpool Street and Tottenham Hale, they cannot be used to tap out at the airport – the extension applies primarily to journeys made with bank cards or contactless devices.