Exceptional growth: Gatwick Airport demonstrates once again why the airport is the best and only deliverable choice for the UK’s next runway

LONDON, 2015-6-29 — /Travel PR News/ — Gatwick Airport announces exceptional growth with annual results demonstrating once again why the airport is the best and only deliverable choice for the UK’s next runway.

CEO Stewart Wingate said today’s results show why momentum and support has grown rapidly for Gatwick where a new runway can be delivered quicker, cheaper, more simply and at a fraction of the overwhelming environmental costs that face Heathrow.

Unprecedented growth

• Turnover up 7.5% to £638million. Combined with carefully controlled cost management, this resulted in EBITDA up 13.2% to £293.7 million and a profit before tax of £83.8million
• Gatwick has seen the busiest year in the airport’s history with 38.7 million passengers, an increase of 7.8% or 2.8 million passengers
• The year included one day of 906 air traffic movements in August – a world record for a single-runway airport, achieved by increased operational efficiency
• Gatwick’s growth is a combination of more planes, bigger planes and fuller planes – average load factors have increased to 83.9%

New airlines and routes

• Growth across a broad range of travel markets with long-haul traffic, European business routes and emerging markets combining to fuel a record-breaking year
• Several airlines have increased frequencies on European routes and introduced new destinations, underlining that Europe will continue to be the most dominant market for London airports
• A series of new European business routes have been added including Strasbourg, Brussels and Paris with Gatwick now serving 46 of the top 50 EU business destinations and 1 in 5 passengers now travelling on business
• Norwegian’s ground-breaking new low cost services to USA have been a catalyst for long haul growth, contributing to a 13.3% increase on USA routes
• New and existing routes to emerging markets have also fed into overall long-haul growth including Turkey, Russia and Indonesia along with long-haul growth to the Middle East with increased capacity on Dubai routes and new services to Israel

Investment

• Lighter regulation endorsed by the CAA is now in place using Gatwick’s industry-leading ‘Commitments and Contracts’ framework – this has allowed Gatwick to enter into commercial bilateral agreements with all of its major airlines
• Gatwick’s £1 billion investment programme continues with £180.7 million pounds invested over the last 12 months including development of Pier 1 and Pier 5
• Major improvements to North and South Terminal departure lounges and retail facilities have contributed to a 10.4% increase in retail income with retail income per passenger rising to £3.81

Stewart Wingate, CEO of Gatwick Airport, said:

“As a recommendation draws near from the Airports Commission on where the UK’s next runway should be built, our record growth has shown why Gatwick remains the best choice.  Gatwick expansion will deliver more passengers to more destinations and provide the economic boost the UK needs at a fraction of the environmental impact of Heathrow.

“Our results are the latest illustration of the momentum gathering behind Gatwick’s case. We have seen a great response from our passengers to new Norwegian long haul services to the USA which has resulted in impressive growth for these new routes. The choice and value offered to our passengers is set to further increase next year as we add low cost long haul travel to Canada with Westjet.

“The time is right for a decision on expansion. Gatwick is fast approaching capacity with almost 40 million passengers travelling with us this year, which puts us a decade ahead of Department of Transport predictions.

“Our plan requires no taxpayer funding, can be delivered quickly, and would enhance competition – the UK will benefit from a strong network of competing airports which will keep fares low while boosting service and innovation.”

For more information contact:

Gatwick Airport press office

t: + 44 (0) 1293 505000
e: gatwickmedia@gatwickairport.com

About London Gatwick
Gatwick Airport is the UK’s second largest airport and the most efficient single-runway airport in the world. It serves more than 200 destinations in 90 countries for more than 38 million passengers a year on short and long-haul point-to-point services. It is also a major economic driver for the South-East region, generating around 21,000 on-airport jobs and a further 10,000 jobs through related activities. The airport is 28 miles south of London with excellent public transport links, including the Gatwick Express. Gatwick Airport is owned by a group of international investment funds, of which Global Infrastructure Partners is the largest shareholder.

In its December 2013 interim report, the Airports Commission included London Gatwick and Heathrow on its shortlist of potential locations for a new runway in the UK. Expansion at Gatwick will best meet the UK’s aviation needs for the future, can provide the greatest economic boost with the least environmental impact, and a new runway can be operational by 2025. For further information, see: www.gatwickobviously.com

Follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/Gatwick_Airport