British police are now reviewing records of private flights to and from London’s Stansted Airport as part of an assessment following the release of extensive files connected to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The move comes after millions of documents were published by the U.S. Department of Justice, revealing details about private jet movements linked to Epstein’s network — including flights that may have flown into the UK.
Essex Police confirmed it is examining information related to these private flights, though officials have stressed that this review does not automatically mean a formal criminal investigation has been launched. The force said it is assessing “information that has emerged in relation to private flights into and out of Stansted Airport” in light of the newly released files.
The revelation follows previous investigations that uncovered evidence suggesting that Epstein’s private jet — often referred to as the “Lolita Express” — made dozens of trips between the UK and other countries over several decades. A BBC investigation last year identified nearly 90 flights linked to Epstein that arrived at or departed from UK airports from the early 1990s through 2018, with some flights occurring even after his 2008 conviction for soliciting prostitution of a minor.
Former Prime Minister Gordon Brown has been among those urging authorities to dig deeper into the files, arguing that they may contain evidence showing that Epstein used Stansted as a transit point for trafficking women and girls from countries such as Latvia, Lithuania and Russia. Brown has called for an urgent re‑examination of how these flights operated and whether victims were trafficked to the UK on private aircraft.
Stansted Airport has clarified that all private jets operate through independent fixed base operators and that immigration and customs checks for such flights are handled separately from the main passenger terminal. The airport also noted that it does not manage or have visibility into passenger arrangements on privately operated aircraft.
The ongoing assessment of these flight records forms part of a broader effort by UK police forces to understand potential connections and allegations tied to the Epstein files, as law enforcement works to offer clarity to survivors and ensure that any wrongdoing is pursued within the law.
