Gatwick looks east as long-haul passengers increase by a quarter

Airport enjoys robust growth as passenger push sees overall numbers climb to nearly 20 million

Gatwick Airport said 19.9 million passengers travelled through its terminals in the first half of the year, an increase of 7.7 per cent compared with the same period in 2023. PA

Gatwick says long-haul passengers increased by a quarter in the past year as the airport received a significant boost from its links to the Middle East and beyond.

Distance passengers climbed to three million in the first six months of 2024 compared with same period last year.

Overall, the airport said the number of travellers through its terminals increased by 7.7 per cent to 19.9 million for the January to June period, including 17 million short-haul passengers to destinations in Europe and North Africa.

The airport recorded half-year revenues of £488 million, a rise of 15.3 per cent from a year earlier, according to interim results released on Thursday.

Underlying earnings were up 13.9 per cent year on year to £268 million, with net profit for the period up 33.8 per cent at £106 million.

The airport's chief executive, Stewart Wingate, said the figures showed that the airport was "experiencing one of our busiest summers yet".

“Thanks to robust planning and close collaboration with our partners we’ve had a strong start to 2024, ensuring a reliable and enjoyable experience for our passengers, he said.

“I am delighted that we have once again achieved good service levels, as evidenced by meeting 100 per cent of our service measures.

Gatwick said its focus on developing new long-haul routes to airports in the Middle East, Asia and North America is attracting “a wider range of passengers”.

Recent new services include the June introduction of Singapore Airlines flights to and from Singapore Changi Airport in June, while Air India launched flights between Gatwick and Bengaluru (Bangalore) this week.

The airport also said new routes to Bangkok, Islamabad and Cyprus will be added to the British Airways network in the final quarter of the year.

Saudia has also marked a year of operation at the airport after it opened its service to King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah in June 2023.

Emirates also operates 21 flights a week from Gatwick to Dubai International Airport on an A380 service.

Mr Wingate has previously described the long-haul market as its 'lucrative' focus as carriers tend to fly larger planes with more passengers.

The airport, which is the UK's second-largest after Heathrow, is also pressing ahead with infrastructure improvements, including the £2.2 billion development runway.

The latest phase of Gatwick’s planning application to bring its existing emergency northern runway into routine use ends next week.

If its request is approved, the runway could be used regularly by the end of the decade.

Mr Wingate said the project demonstrated Gatwick's "commitment to growing sustainably, in line with our decade of change sustainability strategy and government policy.”

Gatwick Airport through the years - in pictures