UK. London Gatwick Airport recorded its busiest ever month in August, with 4.9 million passengers. This represented a +2.1% increase compared to August 2016.
A +11.1% year-on-year increase in long-haul traffic – as passengers went on summer breaks – drove the growth.
The airport also achieved the busiest school summer holidays in its history with 8.1 million passengers travelling through the airport over the seven-week period. This represented a +2.1% increase on 2016 and the first time Gatwick has ever reached the eight million passengers mark during the summer break.
Gatwick CEO Stewart Wingate said the airport was focused on “delivering the best passenger experience”, noting an expanded World Duty Free store in the North Terminal and the opening of a Jamie Oliver flagship restaurant in the South Terminal.
“Service has been at the forefront of our summer,” he said. “We have worked closely with our airlines and ground handlers to help ensure that more planes depart on time and I am pleased with the improvement we’ve made during our busiest ever summer.”
Wingate noted that the airport would be adding long-haul connections later this year – to Denver, Seattle, Austin, Chicago, Taipei and Singapore.
“As Gatwick continues to grow beyond 45 million annual passengers, we remain ready and willing to build our financeable and deliverable second runway scheme instead of, or in addition to, Heathrow should the government give us the green light,” Wingate said.
Gatwick also released lists of the top ten biggest-growing summer long-haul and short-haul destinations, as pictured below.
