What do we know about Stansted Airport private flights and the Epstein files?
US Department of Justice/PALondon Stansted Airport has found itself in the spotlight over private flights following the publication of the Epstein files.
Last year a BBC investigation found 87 flights linked to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein had arrived at or departed from UK airports between the early 1990s and 2018.
BBC News discovered that three British women, who were allegedly trafficked, appeared in Epstein's records of flights in and out of the UK.
On Tuesday, Essex Police said it was assessing information about private flights into and out of Stansted following publication of the files.
Why is the airport in the spotlight?
PA MediaLast week, ex-Prime Minister Gordon Brown wrote in the New Statesman that police "urgently" needed to re-examine whether Epstein's victims were trafficked within and outside of the UK.
Brown wrote that files showed Epstein's jet had made 90 flights to or from UK airports, including 15 after his 2008 conviction for soliciting prostitution from a child.
He said Epstein "boasted" about how cheap airport charges were at Stansted compared to Paris.
Brown added that Stansted, about 40 miles (65km) from central London, was one of the airports "where women were transferred from one Epstein plane to another", adding that "women arriving on private planes into Britain would not need British visas".
Evidence uncovered by the BBC showed incomplete flight logs, with unnamed passengers simply labelled as "female".
What are private flights?
A private jet, also known as a business jet or corporate jet, is an aeroplane used for transporting smaller groups of people, for business or personal travel.
Typically owned by an individual or a company, they are flown by a professional pilot and crew.
Commercial flights, meanwhile, are typically operated by airlines on scheduled routes and are available to the general public.
While commercial flights use Stansted's main terminal, private jet passengers avoid these areas and use private lounges and dedicated immigration and customs clearance facilities for minimal disruption.
What does the airport say?
A Stansted Airport spokesperson said such terminals were "entirely independent" and that "no private jet passengers enter the main airport terminal".
"All private aircraft at London Stansted operate through independent Fixed Base Operators, which handle all aspects of private and corporate aviation in line with regulatory requirements," it said.
Visitors would typically not see this part of the airport when flying to and from Stansted.
Immigration and customs checks for passengers arriving via private jets were carried out "directly by Border Force", the spokesperson added.
They said the airport did not "manage or have any visibility of passenger arrangements on privately operated aircraft".
What does Essex Police say?
In a statement issued on Tuesday, an Essex Police spokesperson said: "We are assessing the information that has emerged in relation to private flights into and out of Stansted Airport following the publication of the US DoJ (Department of Justice) Epstein files."
The BBC understands that while police are "assessing" the information, it would not necessarily lead to a full investigation.
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