Long-haul routes help to power Gatwick’s growth

New long-haul routes helped London Gatwick increase traffic by 7.7 per cent to 19.9 million passengers during the first half of 2024.

Gatwick, which is majority owned by France-based VINCI Airports, has boosted by the arrival of Singapore Airlines in June, as well as new routes to China, India and Canada.

Stewart Wingate, the CEO of Gatwick, said the airport was experiencing “one of our busiest summers yet”, although passenger traffic at peak holiday times is still at only 90 per cent of 2019 levels.

Gatwick achieved total revenue of £488 million in the first six months of 2024, which was an increase of 15.3 per cent on the same period last year. While net profit rose by 33.8 per cent year-on-year to £106 million for the half-year.

“Our teams have worked incredibly hard to achieve these results,” added Wingate. “As we continue to grow our network and offer more choice for passengers, we are working towards our vision to be the airport for everyone, whatever your journey.”

As well as new long-haul services, Gatwick has also attracted additional short-haul routes to destinations such as Gothenburg in Sweden, Varna in Bulgaria and Salerno in Italy.

The airport is hoping to expand capacity further by bringing its existing Northern Runway into routine use by the end of this decade. This proposal is currently going through the UK planning process.