Gatwick breaks through four million passengers for the first October ever
- Gatwick achieved over four million passengers in October - the first time in the airport’s history it has surpassed the milestone
- 4.02 million passengers travelled through the airport, +2% on last year
- Long-haul routes continue to demonstrate their popularity +12.4% on October 2017
The airport’s long-haul connections continue to grow and were +12.4% in the month whilst Gatwick’s cargo tonnage grew +1.6%.
North Atlantic routes proved particularly popular +15.4% on last year. Boston was up +67.9%, on last October, due to Norwegian adding to their previous five times weekly service with a now daily service to the city this autumn / winter.
Further afield, passengers travelling to Singapore were +30% higher than the same month last year. Gatwick will be further catering to passenger demand for connections to Asia, with the airport starting a new thrice weekly service to Shanghai with China Eastern airlines in December 2018. This adds to Gatwick’s growing route network to this region, which already includes Hong Kong, Chengdu and Taipei.
Closer to home, UK passengers jetted off for winter sun with Turkey and North Africa being the destinations of choice. Passengers to Antalya were +44.5% higher than last year while passengers to Dalaman were +28.6%. Meanwhile, passengers to Fez, Casablanca and Tunis grew by +146.8%, +34.8% and 23.8% respectively.
This October, Gatwick Airport published its draft master plan, setting out the airport’s vision for its future. The draft master plan considers how Gatwick could grow across three scenarios, looking ahead to the early 2030s:
- Main runway - using new technology to increase capacity
In the near term, the airport has considered how deploying new technology could increase the capacity of the main runway, offering incremental growth through more efficient operations. - Standby runway - bringing existing standby runway into routine use
The draft master plan sets out for the first time how Gatwick could potentially bring its existing standby runway into routine use for departing flights, alongside its main runway, by the mid-2020s. - Additional runway - safeguarding for the future
While Gatwick is not currently actively pursuing the option of building a brand new runway to the south of the airport - as it did through the Airports Commission process - Gatwick believes it is in the national interest to continue to safeguard this land for the future as part of its draft master plan.
London Gatwick, Chief Executive Officer, Stewart Wingate said:
“Gatwick continues to showcase the vital role it plays for the country, with October’s passenger figures the latest demonstration of this. Last month saw over four million passengers travel through the airport - the first time Gatwick has broken this mark in October – demonstrating the passenger response to the breadth of destinations and airlines available from the airport.
“Gatwick’s growth is vital for the future prosperity of Britain and the country’s post-Brexit future – and our growing global connections are needed more than ever. This December our latest long-haul route will begin, as we open up yet further connections to Asia, with China Eastern starting their new service to Shanghai.
“To further enable Gatwick’s global connectivity, this October, we published the airport’s draft master plan, setting out our vision for growth to the 2030s. We are now seeking feedback from the public, including our local neighbours and our airport partners on this draft master plan, as we seek to fulfil our role for the country, in the most sustainable way.”
