Gatwick Airport

London Gatwick Airport is one of several international airports serving Greater London and southern England. It is located near Crawley, in West Sussex, about 30 miles south of Central London. In 2024, Gatwick was the second-busiest airport in the UK by total passenger traffic, after Heathrow, and the tenth-busiest in Europe.

Gatwick opened as an aerodrome in the late 1920s and has been used for commercial flights since 1933. The airport has two terminals: the North Terminal and the South Terminal. It operates as a single-runway airport, with a main runway that is 3,316 metres long. A secondary runway is available but can only be used when the main runway is not in use.

In 2018, 46.1 million passengers passed through Gatwick, making it a very important place for travel. It is the secondary London hub for British Airways and the largest operating base for the low-cost carrier easyJet.

History

The land where Gatwick Airport now stands was first used for airplanes in the late 1920s. Commercial flights began in 1933, and the first terminal, called "The Beehive," opened in 1935. During World War II, the airport was used by the military. After the war, it became a civilian airport again. The current airport buildings were constructed in the mid-1950s and opened in 1956.

In the 1960s, two big airlines, British United Airways and Dan-Air, operated at Gatwick. Later, British Caledonian became the main airline there during the 1970s. In the 1980s and 1990s, British Airways grew to become the biggest airline at Gatwick. Today, easyJet has become the main airline at the airport.

From 1978 to 2008, many flights to the United States landed at Gatwick due to rules that limited flights from Heathrow. After 2008, most of these flights moved to Heathrow. The last U.S. airline to serve Gatwick was US Airways, which stopped in 2013. JetBlue began flying to Gatwick from New York and Boston in 2021.

In 2009, a group led by Global Infrastructure Partners bought Gatwick Airport. Other investors later joined in, but the group kept control. After the COVID-19 pandemic, the airport had to cut jobs due to fewer travelers.

Corporate affairs

Gatwick Airport was owned and run by BAA Limited and its predecessors from April 1, 1966, until December 2, 2009. Now, it is owned and operated by Gatwick Airport Limited, which is a part of Ivy Holdco Limited. This company is owned by Global Infrastructure Partners, and in 2018, Vinci announced plans to buy a majority stake, which was completed by mid-2019.

In September 2023, Margaret Ford, Baroness Ford, was named the new Chair of Gatwick Airport.

Operations

Facilities

Gatwick Airport has several special rooms for travelers. In 2008, a special room called the V Room opened for travelers flying far away with Virgin Holidays. In 2017, this room moved to the North Terminal. There are also rooms where people can have meetings and business talks, and hotels of different prices close to the airport.

The airport has rooms for people of different faiths to pray, and there are daily services led by chaplains.

There is an office for the Civil Aviation Authority, and a big building called Schlumberger House where WesternGeco, a company that studies the Earth, has its main offices for Europe, Africa, and Russia.

Before being sold, plans were made to spend a lot of money improving Gatwick over five years, including making both terminals bigger and better.

In 2013, Gatwick started a free service called Gatwick Connect to help travelers switch between flights when their airline didn’t provide this service. In 2015, this service was renamed GatwickConnects.

Flight movements

Gatwick has two runways but mainly uses one. The northern runway is only used when the main runway cannot be used. The main runway is long enough for big planes to take off and land. Nearly three-quarters of takeoffs are towards the west.

In 2018, Gatwick looked at ways to use its runways better, including possibly using the second runway more often. In 2023, plans were announced to expand the second runway so it can be used regularly.

The main runway has special landing equipment that helps planes land safely even in bad weather. The northern runway does not have this equipment.

Flights are not allowed between 11 pm and 7 am if they are very noisy. Between 11:30 pm and 6 am, there are limits on how many flights can take off and land, and very quiet planes are not allowed.

Security

The airport is kept safe by Sussex Police. There are officers who carry guns and others who do not, as well as community support officers.

Access to the secure parts of the airport is controlled by security officers.

Major airlines

Gatwick is a home base for several airlines, including British Airways, easyJet, and Wizz Air. It is special because it has full-service, low-cost, and charter airlines.

EasyJet is the biggest airline at Gatwick, with many flights and planes. British Airways and Norwegian Air Shuttle were also big, but Norwegian stopped flying from Gatwick in 2020.

EasyJet bought some slots from other airlines, making it the biggest short-haul airline at Gatwick. British Airways later started a new budget airline called BA EuroFlyer.

City Place Gatwick

Gatwick’s original terminal, called the Beehive, is part of the City Place Gatwick office complex. Many airlines used to have offices there.

Gatwick Aviation Museum

Near the airport is a museum with old items and photographs from Gatwick’s history, as well as military airplanes. The museum is open on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays.

Terminals

The airport has two terminals, South and North, with 65 total gates. Both terminals have shops and restaurants for passengers before and after security checks. All areas are accessible for disabled passengers, and there are facilities for babies.

The South Terminal has 32 gates with jetbridges for planes, and the North Terminal opened in 1988 and has 31 gates, including some that can handle very large aircraft. The two terminals are connected by a special moving walkway before security, but not after.

Airlines and destinations

Gatwick Airport has many airlines that fly regular passenger trips from the airport.

Statistics

Gatwick Airport became the first single-runway airport to handle over 40 million passengers a year in 2015. By 2016, EasyJet made up more than 40% of all passengers there. Globally, Gatwick is the 35th busiest airport and the eighth busiest airport in Europe. It is known for being the world's leading low-cost airport.

In 2018, over 46 million passengers used Gatwick. There were increases in passengers flying to and from North Atlantic and other faraway places, while some closer flights saw fewer passengers. The number of flights went down a little, but the amount of goods carried increased.

Ground transport

Getting to and from Gatwick Airport is easy by road, rail, bus, or bike.

By road, you can reach the airport using the M23 motorway from London or the A23 from nearby towns. There are car parks at the airport, but they can fill up in busy times.

The train station at Gatwick has been serving travelers since 1958. Trains run to and from London, Brighton, and many other places. You can use special cards to travel easily on the trains into London.

Expansion proposals

Main article: Expansion of Gatwick Airport

Gatwick Airport has been reviewed many times for ways to grow. One idea is to build a third terminal or a second runway. An old agreement from 1979 said no second runway could be built, but that agreement ended after 40 years.

In 2013, airport leaders showed a plan for a second runway south of the current one. Another idea was to extend the North Terminal. In 2011, a plan to connect Gatwick and Heathrow by a fast train was suggested, but it was not accepted.

In 2021, Gatwick started plans to make its runway bigger. This would let the airport serve more passengers and create new jobs. The plan needed approval, and in 2025, it was officially approved. The changes will help the airport grow and bring more money to the area.