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

The construction site of the main terminal building at Gatwick Airport in 1935. All photos: Getty Images

Workmen completing the main building at Gatwick in 1936

Tinsley Green Station being renamed in 1936, a week before the opening of the new airport

Passengers check-in at the newly opened Gatwick Airport in 1936

A British Airways passenger aircraft at Gatwick Airport in 1936

An aerial view of Gatwick Airport in 1938

Flyovers leading to and from the main Brighton Road at Gatwick Airport in 1958

American Vice President Richard Nixon greets the crowds on arrival at Gatwick Airport in 1958

A group of young women wait to use a photo booth machine to obtain passport style photos at Gatwick Airport in 1963

British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan, right, welcomes US President John F Kennedy at Gatwick Airport in 1963

Passengers queue at the check-in counters in 1966

Paul McCartney with his wife Linda and their two children, Mary and Heather, at Gatwick Airport in 1971

Hideaway, Graham Fletcher's mount for the Prix des Nations jumping competition at the Montreal Olympics, is coaxed on to a plane at Gatwick in 1976

Pope John Paul II kisses the tarmac on his arrival at Gatwick Airport in 1982

Terry Waite at Gatwick Airport with released hostage Robin Plummer and his family in 1985. Plummer's release from Libya was negotiated by Waite

Richard Branson in the cabin of a Virgin hot air balloon at Gatwick Airport before it was taken to its starting point in Sussex for its record Atlantic crossing in 1987

Team GB at Gatwick Airport after arriving home from the 2004 Olympics in Greece

Aircraft at the Southern Terminal of Gatwick Airport in 2009

An empty departures lounge at Gatwick Airport in 2010, as passengers faced a sixth day of airport closures due to volcanic ash from Iceland

A family look at the arrivals board during the 2013 Christmas period

Border Force official Claire Chapman and her sniffer dog Pip check luggage arriving at Gatwick Airport in 2014

Deserted check-in desks in the North Terminal at Gatwick Airport during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020

Passengers queue at Gatwick Airport as electronic passport gates fail across the UK in 2023