Member Article

Best March ever for Gatwick Airport with third consecutive month of passenger growth

Gatwick Airport enjoyed its best March as it posted a third consecutive month of passenger growth last month.

The airport saw 3.1m passengers pass through its check-in and passport gates, a 5.8% increase on the same month last year and its highest ever figures for the month of March.

The West Sussex airport, which is the UK’s second busiest, saw particularly strong growth in its long haul passenger numbers, with a 9.6% year on year growth, fuelled by a 19.3% growth for North Atlantic routes, including Los Angeles (62.8%), Toronto (60.3%) and Vancouver (35.8%).

Gatwick Chief Executive Officer Stewart Wingate said: “Three years of consecutive month and month growth shows Gatwick continues to provide what our passengers want - more choice and better value to a greater range of destinations.

“Our 20 new routes this summer, including Hong Kong, Cape Town, Vancouver, Lima and Costa Rica, are a resounding endorsement of the airport, from our existing carriers plus new airlines including Cathay Pacific and WestJet.”

With the government’s decision due in the summer about how to support future growth in the UK’s aviation capacity, Stewart used the positive figures to stake Gatwick’s claim for a second runway.

He added: “An expanded Gatwick would build on this momentum and deliver yet more competition and choice for passengers - only last week Norwegian pledged 50 Dreamliners to a two-runway Gatwick which would transform the UK long-haul market.

“Government backing for Gatwick expansion this year will mean that the UK finally and definitively has a solution to its long enduring aviation capacity issue. Our plan is legal, affordable, cleaner and quieter and will finally deliver for Britain.”