- Caroline Ansell MP opens Pier 5 – an £80 million project for Gatwick Airport
- Bigger gate rooms and better facilities for arriving and departing passengers
- Growth in number of stands set to drive more growth at the airport
LONDON, 2016-Feb-03 — /Travel PR News/ — Another milestone in Gatwick’s £2 billion transformation programme was reached today when Gatwick CEO Stewart Wingate invited Caroline Ansell MP to officially open the airport’s newly-redeveloped Pier 5.
The new Pier 5 project is now fully operational and represents a single investment of £80 million forming a key part of the North Terminal transformation plan.
The unique design of the pier allowed Gatwick to build a second level and the airport is now able to offer vertically separated arrival and departure routes for passengers. This smooths passenger journeys and creates a more flexible and efficient operation for passengers and airlines.
Pier 5 has a new look called ‘London Square’ which draws on Gatwick’s heritage as a major London airport, incorporating London-themed design into all its gate rooms.
Gatwick Airport CEO Stewart Wingate said:
“Since coming into private ownership six years ago, we have invested more than £1 billion in transforming and growing Gatwick and, to accommodate our growth, we are set to invest another billion.
“Total passenger numbers have grown by nine million over this time – today, 40 million people choose Gatwick each year and we have achieved 34 successive months of growth. To keep pace with this unprecedented growth, we need to be smart about how we work with our existing infrastructure while we wait for a Government decision on airport expansion.
“Our investment programme is all about driving that growth, and Pier 5 will be a significant contributor, allowing us to handle greater volumes of aircraft and passengers.”
Caroline Ansell MP said:
“It is a privilege to open Pier 5 and have the chance to see this substantial investment that will improve the passenger experience and help Gatwick become one of the world’s best airports.
“The airport is vital for the economy of south east England and I have made it very clear on a number of occasions I want to see its continued success.”
One of the key objectives of the build was the redesign and modernisation of the stands, allowing Gatwick the flexibility to handle new and changing types of aircraft. It has the ability to accommodate seven large aircraft and 12 smaller aircraft, or a combination of both. This increased efficiency will continue to support Gatwick Airport’s growth, while helping to improve the performance of our airlines.
This drives further efficiency and on-time performance. Pier 5 will have a significant impact on the number of passengers Gatwick can handle. From this pier alone, it is estimated that Gatwick can handle an additional 30 flights per day, which equates to approximately 4,200 passengers per day, compared to the old Pier 5 facility.
ENDS
For more information contact:
Gatwick Airport press office
t: + 44 (0) 1293 505000
e: gatwickmedia@gatwickairport.com
About Gatwick Airport
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 40 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 south of Central London with excellent public transport links, including the Gatwick Express, and is part of the Oyster contactless payment network. Gatwick Airport is owned by a group of international investment funds, of which Global Infrastructure Partners is the largest shareholder.
The Government has indicated it will make a decision this year on whether Gatwick airport should be expanded. Gatwick’s second runway will deliver the UK the same number of passengers, the same number of long haul routes, better UK and regional connections, and the economic boost the UK needs, all at a dramatically lower environmental impact, at less than half the cost of Heathrow, and with no public subsidy.
For further information on Gatwick Airport see www.gatwickairport.com or follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/Gatwick_Airport
SOURCE: Gatwick Airport Limited
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Gatwick Airport achieves another milestone in its £2 billion transformation programme with the opening of Pier 5