- 6 million more passengers in 5 years through greater competition and investment
- Further £1billion plan outlined to continue airport’s transformation
- Gatwick CEO: “It’s been an incredible five years and this is just the start”
LONDON, 2014-12-2 — /Travel PR News/ — Gatwick Airport this week celebrates its 5th birthday under independent ownership and has outlined a £1billion investment plan that will further transform the airport in the coming years.
As the airport celebrates its 5th birthday, Gatwick has today outlined a further £1 billion investment programme that will continue the transformation of the airport including:
THE CREATION OF TWO WORLD-CLASS TERMINALS
- Previous investment has allowed Gatwick’s South Terminal to become one of the best in Europe
- The next £1billion of investment will match these improvements in a completely transformed North Terminal, ensuring Gatwick has two world-class terminals to offer passengers
- Gatwick is expected to reach nearly 41 million passengers within the next three years, with North Terminal accommodating the majority of traffic growth – the enhanced facilities and increased floor space in North Terminal are crucial as Gatwick grows towards full capacity
A WORLD-BEATING NEW CHECK-IN AREA
- £36m investment to create a brand-new North Terminal check-in area including the world’s largest self-service bag drop zone, with up to 60 bag drop units virtually eliminating queues
- Passengers will benefit from quicker check-in times and an improved departures experience
- The area will open in two phases between late 2015 and early 2016 – a better layout and more space will increase peak check-in capacity from 3,000 to 4,350 passengers per hour
NEXT-GENERATION SECURITY FACILITIES
- £30m invested to create a world-leading new security area opening in North Terminal in 2016
- Passenger transaction times will be halved giving Gatwick the ability to process 5,000 passengers per hour
- New features such as reconfigured lanes and floor wayfinding were tested in Gatwick’s “Generation 2” trials resulting in double the throughput of passengers & best-ever service scores
A BIGGER DEPARTURES AREA & REVAMPED RETAIL SPACE
- £21m invested to create a world-class new departure lounge in North Terminal – more space will make room for future growth while more retail and restaurant space will offer more choice
- 30,000 square feet of new retail space – the equivalent to 10 tennis courts – will be created in total throughout North Terminal. This includes a new World Duty Free opening in 2017 to match South Terminal which was the world’s largest World Duty Free store when it opened in 2012
A TRANSFORMED ARRIVALS AREA
- £10m invested to fully refurbish the North Terminals arrival area due to open in summer 2015
- The relocation of existing shops and facilities will create a more spacious concourse, improving the travel experience through Gatwick and offering passengers a better choice of retail
FURTHER MAJOR INVESTMENT TO DRIVE PASSENGER IMPROVEMENTS
- £10m to upgrade the North Terminal border zone – more space, new technologies and 15 state-of-the-art new e-gates will help lead to shorter queues for passengers
- £250m to maintain and replace facilities including lifts, escalators and technology infrastructure
- £80m to reconfigure the Pier 5 facility and £185m to construct a state-of-the-art new Pier 1, offering new aircraft stands, gate rooms, new lounge facilities, and storage for 2,600 bags
Stewart Wingate, London Gatwick CEO, said: “It’s been an incredible five years and this is just the start. Gatwick is changing for the better and the fresh £1billion investment outlined today is a clear signal that we intend to become London’s airport of choice.
“Gatwick’s success shows what can be achieved when competition is allowed to thrive, helping standards rise and fares fall. It is a timely reminder ahead of next year’s airport expansion decision, when the UK must choose whether to build on the success of greater competition and a more open industry, or take a backwards step towards the monopolies of the past.
“Today marks a very happy birthday for Gatwick and with our £1billion investment to roll out over the next few years it’s an exciting time for both the airport and our passengers. We can’t wait to get to work.”
HOW GATWICK HAS TRANSFORMED IN 5 YEARS OF NEW OWNERSHIP:
The benefits of greater competition and the huge improvements made have allowed Gatwick to become an award-winning airport during five years of new ownership, with Gatwick named ‘Airport of the Year’ in 2013. Five years of transformation have seen:
RECORD-BREAKING PASSENGER GROWTH & THE WORLD’S MOST EFFICIENT RUNWAY
- Since 2009, total passenger numbers have grown by over six million in five years – today 38.6 million people choose Gatwick
- The airport is currently on the wave of 20 successive months of growth. The last 6 months were the busiest in Gatwick’s history & the airport is now a few years from hitting full capacity
- Investment in greater efficiency and Gatwick’s Airport Collaborative Decision Making (A-CDM 55) mean Gatwick is the busiest single runway airport in the world
- Greater efficiency helped deliver a world-record 906 air traffic movements in August 2014
HUGE INVESTMENT IN MAJOR IMPROVEMENTS
- Under Gatwick’s new ownership, over £1billion invested since 2009 – £15-20million per month
- In 2011 a North Terminal extension provided better facilities in departures, arrivals & check-in, while in 2009 an extended South Terminal departure lounge created more space & retail choice
- Other major construction projects include resurfacing the main runway, refreshing the forecourts of both terminals and improving security facilities
NEW DESTINATIONS, NEW AIRLINES AND NEW AIRCRAFT
- New airlines at Gatwick are serving emerging markets, something unheard of under the BAA monopoly – there are now services to emerging markets in Turkey, Russia, Vietnam & Indonesia
- Gatwick’s growth has also been fuelled by new European business routes; continued long-haul growth including the Middle East; and game-changing new low-cost services to New York & LA
- Gatwick now has regular A380 and Boeing Dreamliner services operating from the airport
- 1 in 5 passengers are on business – Gatwick serves 46 of Europe’s top 50 business destinations
QUICKER, BETTER AND MORE ARTY PASSENGER EXPERIENCES!
- Check-in times are faster & more efficient. 96% of passengers are now processed through security within 5 mins with dedicated lanes for families & passengers with reduced mobility
- Gatwick has embarked on a series of art installations through the airport promoting Britain and British artists, including Sir Peter Blake and ‘The People’s Monarch’ project depicting the Queen
- A new shuttle offering a fast, comfortable journey between North and South Terminals
- Gatwick is now the UK’s best-connected airport with a 7th rail platform opening in 2013 and 44% of passengers arriving by public transport – the best of any UK airport
AIRPORT FIRSTS IN RETAIL AND RESTAURANT CHOICE
- Better retail facilities have improved passenger choice. Nearly 40 new stores have been added including British brands such as Joules, Snow + Rock and Aspinal of London – all airport firsts
- More than 15 restaurants have opened in the past 4 years including an airport first with the Jamie Oliver range of Jamie’s Italian, Jamie’s Bakery, Union Jacks Bar & Jamie’s Coffee lounge
- These have been joined by the airport-first of Lebanese restaurant Comptoir Libanais and in 2014 Nando’s opened its first European airport restaurant in response to passenger feedback
ENDS
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 around 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
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