Passengers were told by crew members there was a hole on the runway.
The airport said its runway was closed between 17:30 and 18:10 BST on Sunday.
A total of 11 incoming flights were diverted to other hubs including Luton and East Midlands. The runway has since reopened and “flight operations are back to normal”, the airport says.
In a statement, Stansted Airport said the closure was “deemed necessary for safety reasons” but “some flights may be delayed or cancelled”.
The airport said minor repairs were carried out.