Gatwick Airport

London Gatwick Airport Gatwick Airport
IATA: LGW – ICAO: EGKK Gatwick Airport Location of Gatwick Airport in England, UK
Summary
Airport type		Public
Owner		Global Infrastructure Partners
Operator		Gatwick Airport Limited
Serves		London
Location		Crawley, West Sussex
Hub for		British Airways
Elevation AMSL		202 ft / 62 m
Website		http://www.gatwickairport.com/
Runways
Direction	Length		Surface
	m	ft
08L/26R	2,565	8,415	Asphalt/Concrete
08R/26L	3,316	10,879	Asphalt/Concrete
Statistics (2009)
Aircraft Movements			251,879
Passengers			32,392,520
Sources: UK AIP at NATS[1] Statistics from the UK Civil Aviation Authority[2]

Gatwick Airport, formerly known as (and still commonly referred to as) London Gatwick Airport (IATA: LGW, ICAO: EGKK) is located 5 km (3.1 mi) north of the centre of Crawley, West Sussex, and 45.7 km (28.4 mi) south of Central London.^[3] It is London's second largest international airport and second busiest by total passenger traffic in the United Kingdom after Heathrow.^[4] Gatwick has the world's busiest single-use runway and is Europe's leading airport for point-to-point flights.^[5]

In 2008, Gatwick ranked as the world's 28th-busiest airport in terms of passenger numbers,^[6] 9th busiest in terms of international passengers^[7] and 8th largest in Europe by passenger traffic.^[5]

Charter airlines generally prefer Gatwick over Heathrow as a base for London and the South East. From 1978 to 2008, many flights to and from the United States used Gatwick because of restrictions on the use of Heathrow implemented in the Bermuda II agreement between the UK and the US.^{[8][9][10][11][12]} (As of 2010, Delta Air Lines and US Airways are the only US carriers to continue serving Gatwick from the US.) The airport is a base for scheduled operators Aer Lingus, British Airways (BA), EasyJet, Flybe and Virgin Atlantic, as well as charter airlines including Monarch Airlines, Thomas Cook Airlines and Thomson Airways. Gatwick is unique amongst London's airports in having a significant airline presence representing each of the three main airline business models: full service, low/no frills and charter.^[13]

BAA Limited and its predecessors, the British Airports Authority and BAA plc, owned and operated Gatwick continuously from 1 April 1966 until 2 December 2009.^[14][15][16] On 17 September 2008, BAA announced it would sell Gatwick following a report by the Competition Commission into BAA's market dominance in London and South East England. On 21 October 2009, it was announced that agreement had been reached to sell Gatwick to Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP), the owners of London City Airport, for £1.51 billion. Of this amount, £55 million will depend on the airport's future traffic development and its owners' future capital structure (£10 million and £45 million respectively).^[17] The sale was formally completed on 3 December 2009. On this day, Gatwick's ownership passed from BAA to GIP.^[18] In early 2010, GIP reportedly sold minority stakes in Gatwick to South Korean National Pension Service and Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA).^[19][20] On 18 June 2010, it was reported that CalPERS, California's and the US's biggest state pension fund, had bought a 12.7% equity stake in Gatwick Airport from GIP.^[21][22]

History

The airport control tower.

The name "Gatwick" dates back to 1241, the name of a manor on the site of today's airport until the 19th century that was originally owned by the De Gatwick family.^[23] It is derived from the Anglo-Saxon words gāt, 'goat', and wīc, 'dairy farm', i.e. 'goat farm'.^[24] In 1890, the descendants of the original owners sold the area to the newly established Gatwick Race Course Company. The following year, the new owners opened a racecourse beside the London–Brighton railway, together with a dedicated station including sidings for horse boxes.^[23] The course held steeplechase and flat races. During the First World War the course hosted the Grand National.^[23]

Airport infrastructure and airline operations

1920–45

In the late 1920s, land adjacent to the racecourse at Hunts Green Farm along Tinsley Green Lane was used as an aerodrome. Following a change in land ownership, the aerodrome was licensed in August 1930.^[25] Surrey Aero Club formed in 1930 and used the old Hunts Green farmhouse as club house. Redwing Aircraft Company bought the aerodrome in 1932 and operated a flying school. The aerodrome was also used for pilots flying in to races.

In 1933, the Air Ministry approved commercial flights from Gatwick. The same year, the aerodrome was sold for £13,500 to Morris Jackaman, an investor who formed a new airport company named Airports Limited in 1934. Hillman's Airways became Gatwick's first commercial airline operator as a result of starting scheduled services from the airport to Belfast and Paris. A new railway station served by two trains an hour on the Victoria–Brighton line opened in September 1935. That year also saw the formation of a new airline named Allied British Airways, the result of a merger between Hillman's Airways, United Airways and Spartan Airways. The newly formed carrier, which subsequently shortened its name to British Airways, became Gatwick's principal operator.^[23]

In 1936, the world's first circular airport terminal, called The Beehive, opened at Gatwick. It was designed by Frank Hoar and included a subway to Gatwick racecourse railway station that enabled passengers to travel from London Victoria Station to the aircraft without stepping outside. On 17 May 1936, the first scheduled flight to depart The Beehive was bound for Paris. The applicable air fare was £4 5s, including a first class rail ticket from London Victoria.^[23]

Two fatal accidents in 1936 questioned the airport's safety. Moreover, the area was prone to fog and waterlogging as a result of poor drainage due to heavy clay soils. This in turn caused the new subway to flood after rain. As a consequence and the need for longer landing strips, the pre-war British Airways moved to Croydon Airport in 1937. Gatwick went back to private flying and was contracted as a Royal Air Force (RAF) flying school.^[23] The airport also attracted repair companies.

The Air Ministry requisitioned Gatwick in September 1939.^[23] Although the airfield became a base for RAF night-fighters and an army co-operation squadron, it was mainly a repair and maintenance facility.^[26]

1945–70

Although Gatwick Airport was officially decommissioned after World War II in 1946, the Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation continued to operate it as a civil airfield, initially for a six-month trial period.^[23] During that period, the airport provided maintenance facilities and charter companies flying war-surplus aircraft started to use it; however, persistent drainage issues affected the airport's usage. Most commercial air services were cargo flights. In November 1948, the owners warned the airport could be de-requisitioned by November 1949 and revert to private use.

Stansted was favoured as London's second airport and Gatwick's future was in doubt. Despite opposition from local authorities, in 1950 the Cabinet decided Gatwick was to be an alternative to Heathrow. The Government said in July 1952 that the airport was to be developed, primarily to cater to aircraft diverted from Heathrow in bad weather. This resulted in temporary closure between 1956 and 1958 for a £7.8 million renovation.^[23][26][27] During that period, British European Airways (BEA) continued using Gatwick for its helicopter operations.^[27] The redevelopment was carried out by Alfred McAlpine.^[28] It entailed diverting the A23 London—Brighton trunk road and the River Mole, as well as building the runway across the erstwhile racecourse site and rebuilding the former racecourse railway station alongside the new terminal.^[27]

On 9 June 1958, Queen Elizabeth II flew into the new airport in a de Havilland Heron of the Queen's Flight to perform the opening. However, this event was preceded by Transair operating the first commercial air service from the new Gatwick on 30 May 1958^[23][29][30] while a Jersey Airlines de Havilland Heron was the first scheduled aircraft to arrive at the newly reconstructed airport.^[25][31] The first "official" flight to depart Gatwick following the reopening ceremony was a BEA DC-3 operating a charter for Surrey County Council to Jersey and Guernsey.^[27]

A PEOPLExpress Boeing 747 at the satellite pier of the South Terminal in June 1983. The North Terminal is under construction in the background

Gatwick was the world's first airport with a direct railway link and the first to combine mainline rail travel, trunk road facilities and an air terminal building in one unit.^[26] It was also one of the first to have an enclosed pier-based terminal, which allowed passengers to walk under cover to waiting areas close to aircraft with only a short walk outdoors.^[23] Another novel feature of Gatwick's new air terminal was its modular design. This permitted subsequent, phased expansion.^[27]

The main pier of what is now the South Terminal was built during the 1956–58 construction of Gatwick. In 1962, two additional piers were added. By 1965, each of the three piers was nearly 1,000 feet long and the entire terminal complex had a floor area of 100,000 ft².^[23][26] Fully extendible jet bridges were added when the piers were rebuilt and extended in the late 1970s and early 1980s.^[23]

In 1964, Gatwick's original, relatively short 7,000 feet (2,134 metres) runway was extended by 1,200 ft (365 m) to 8,200 ft (2,499 m) due to new noise rules governing the operation of jet aircraft at airports close to or surrounded by densely populated urban areas.^[23][32] It was subsequently extended thrice — in 1970 (by 875 ft/267 m to 9,075 ft/2,766 m to permit non-stop jet operations to the US east coast with a full payload and full-range/payload operations by British United and Caledonian BAC One-Eleven 500s^[23][33]), 1973 (to 10,165 ft/3,098 m to allow non-stop narrowbody operations to the US west coast with a full payload and commercially viable, long-range widebody operations^[23]) and 1998 (to 10,879 ft/3,316m to enable longer-range operations with fully-laden widebody aircraft^[23]).

BEA was an early Gatwick user. It was followed by BEA Helicopters and BEA Airtours, which made the airport their base.^[34][35] Sudan Airways and BWIA West Indies Airways were among Gatwick's first scheduled overseas airlines. The former's Blue Nile services were the first scheduled flights from Gatwick by a foreign airline. These services operated between Khartoum and London Gatwick via Cairo, Athens and Rome. They began on 8 June 1959, initially using Airwork Vickers Viscount aircraft. British United Airways (BUA) assumed this operation the following year, as a result of the Airwork — Hunting-Clan merger. (BUA were also acting as Sudan Airways's technical advisers.)^[36][37] US supplemental carriers Seven Seas Airlines, Capitol International, President Airlines and Transocean Airlines, as well as various South European and Scandinavian charter operators, figured prominently among Gatwick's early overseas users.^[37]

From the late 1950s, a number of Britain's private airlines established themselves at Gatwick. The first was Transair.^[38] It was followed by Airwork, Hunting-Clan and Morton Air Services. In July 1960, these merged to form British United Airways. Throughout the 1960s, BUA was Britain's largest independent airline. During that decade, it became Gatwick's largest resident airline. By the end of the decade, it also became the airport's leading scheduled operator, with a 71,000 kilometres (43,217 mi) network of short, medium and long-haul routes across Europe, Africa and South America. These were served with contemporary BAC One-Eleven and Vickers VC-10 jet aircraft.^[39]

Despite rapid expansion of BUA's and other airlines' scheduled activities at Gatwick since the early 1960s, the airport was dominated by non-scheduled services well into the 1980s. The bulk of these were inclusive tour (IT) passenger services provided by a growing number of British independent operators and their overseas counterparts. During the 1960s, IT services accounted for between two-thirds and three-quarters of Gatwick's annual passengers, earning the airport its bucket and spade tag.^[37]

1970–2009

South Terminal international arrivals concourse

In late November 1970, BUA was acquired by the Scottish charter airline Caledonian Airways. The new airline was known as Caledonian/BUA before adopting the British Caledonian name in September 1971. BUA's takeover by Caledonian enabled the latter to transform itself into a scheduled airline. In addition to scheduled routes inherited from BUA, it launched scheduled services to Europe, North and West Africa, North America as well as the Middle and Far East during the 1970s and '80s. This included the first scheduled service by a wholly private UK airline since the 1930s between London and Paris, in November 1971, as well as the first transatlantic scheduled services by a private UK airline to New York and Los Angeles, in April 1973. It also included the launch of the UK's first private scheduled air service to Hong Kong (via Dubai) in August 1980.^[40][41]

In November 1972, Laker Airways became the first operator of widebody aircraft at Gatwick, following the introduction of two McDonnell-Douglas DC-10 aircraft.^[42]

Gatwick's North Terminal building and transit station

Laker's DC-10 fleet expanded throughout the 1970s and early '80s with longer-range variants. This enabled the launch of Gatwick's first daily long-haul, no frills flights to John F. Kennedy International Airport on 26 September 1977.^[43]

British Caledonian was also a Gatwick operator of the DC-10, having introduced its first pair in March and May 1977, respectively.^[44] The airline eventually operated a small fleet of Boeing 747-200s as well, introducing them in 1982.^[45]

Other independent airlines including Dan-Air and Air Europe played a role in the development of the airport and its scheduled route network during the 1970s, '80s and early '90s.

In July 1985, a British Airways Concorde operated the type's first-ever commercial flight from Gatwick.^[25]

In the year ending April 1987, Gatwick overtook New York JFK as the world's second-busiest international airport, handling 15.86 million international passengers – 100,000 more than JFK.^[46] At the end of the 1989/90 financial year, scheduled passengers outnumbered holidaymakers travelling on non-scheduled services for the first time in Gatwick's post-war history. The latter had accounted for more than half the airport's passengers during the 1970s and most of the 1980s.^[47]

The Bridge to Pier 6 in the North Terminal opened in 2005.

Passenger numbers had grown steadily since the late 1970s, as a result of several Government initiatives in support of Gatwick's development. These included new policies to transfer all scheduled services between London and the Iberian peninsula from Heathrow to Gatwick,^[48] and compelling all airlines that were planning to operate a scheduled service to or from London for the first time to use Gatwick instead of Heathrow. The latter policy was officially known as the "London Air Traffic Distribution Rules". It came into effect on 1 April 1978 and was applied retroactively from the beginning of April 1977. These rules were designed to achieve a fairer distribution of traffic between London Heathrow and London Gatwick, the UK's two main international gateway airports. The policy was aimed at increasing Gatwick's utilisation to help the airport make a profit.^[49][50] Another pro-active measure the Government took to aid Gatwick's development at the time was to grant permission for a high-frequency helicopter shuttle service linking both of London's main airports.^[51] The new helicopter shuttle service linking London Heathrow and London Gatwick was inaugurated on 9 June 1978.^[52][53]

As passenger numbers grew, a circular satellite pier was added to the terminal building in 1983, connected to the main terminal by the UK's first automated people mover system^[23] (now replaced with a walkway and travelators). The new air traffic control tower opened in 1984. The same year, the non-stop Gatwick Express rail service to London Victoria station was launched. There was a need for more capacity and a second terminal was planned.^[54][55]

Inter-terminal transit track and Sofitel hotel. The North Terminal building is in the background

Construction began on the North Terminal in 1983, which was the largest construction project south of London in the 1980s. It cost £200 million.^[56] The terminal was opened by Queen Elizabeth II on 18 March 1988^[57] and expanded in 1991 with a second aircraft pier. In 1994, the North Terminal international departures lounge and phase 1 of the South Terminal international departures lounge opened. Both developments cost £30 million.^[23] The North Terminal has an area of 75,000m². Gatwick's two terminals are connected by an automated rapid track transit system.

Inside the world's largest air passenger bridge at the North Terminal's Pier 6

View of Gatwick's apron from the North Terminal passenger bridge, looking towards the South Terminal

During 2000 and 2001, Gatwick's two terminals were further expanded to add more seating, retail space and catering outlets, at a total cost of £60 million. This included an extension to the North Terminal departure lounge completed in 2001.^[23]

In 2005, a £110 million additional aircraft pier (Pier 6) opened, adding an extra 11 pier-served aircraft stands. Linked by the world's largest air passenger bridge to the North Terminal's main building, it spans a taxiway, giving arriving and departing passengers views of the airport and taxiing aircraft. The same year, an extension and refurbishment to the South Terminal's baggage reclaim hall was completed, doubling it in size.

In May 2008, another extension was completed to the South Terminal departure lounge. In addition, a second-floor security search area opened. The South Terminal now covers an area of 120,000m². The terminal is mainly used by low-cost airlines. Many former users have moved to the newer North Terminal.

On 12 October 2009, Qatar Airways's daily QR076 Gatwick–Doha scheduled service became the first commercial flight powered by fuel made from natural gas. The Airbus A340-600HGW operating the six-hour flight ran on a 50-50 blend of synthetic gas-to-liquids (GTL) and conventional oil-based kerosene developed by Shell instead of traditional, purely oil-based aviation turbine fuel.^[58][59]

On 3 December 2009, the transfer of Gatwick's ownership from BAA Limited to Global Infrastructure Partners became effective.^[15][16]

2009–present

Following the sale of the airport to GIP, Gatwick's new owners announced their intention to proceed with a previously agreed £1 billion investment programme to upgrade and expand the airport's existing infrastructure to transform the passenger experience.^[60][61][62] It is hoped that this will firmly establish Gatwick as the airport of choice for air travellers whose journey begins and/or ends in London and other parts of South East England. According to Virgin Atlantic communications director Paul Charles, the prospect of offering much better facilities to Gatwick's airlines and passengers as a result of the change in ownership presents a long-term opportunity to leapfrog Heathrow in terms of airport infrastructure and passenger amenities.^[63] It is expected that GIP will use its relationships to persuade new and existing airlines to consider launching additional routes from Gatwick, reinstating services suspended as a result of the global recession in the wake of the financial crisis that began in 2007 and Open Skies and/or expanding their existing flying programme from the airport in the near future.^{[62][64][65][66][67]}

In February 2010, it was reported that GIP sold minority stakes of 12% and 15% to South Korean National Pension Service and Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA), for £100 million and £125 million, respectively. These were sold in Gatwick's – rather than GIP's – name. The sale of these stakes is part of GIP's strategy to syndicate the equity portion of the original acquisition by issuing bonds to refinance bank debt. Although this entails bringing in additional investors in the airport, GIP aims to retain management control.^[19][20] This was followed by an announcement on 18 June 2010 that Californian state pension fund CalPERS had spent approximately US$155 million (£104.8 million) on acquiring a 12.7% stake in Gatwick Airport from GIP, marking the US$200 billion fund's first direct infrastructure investment.^[21][22]

On 22 June 2010, Gatwick Airport Limited launched a new competitive brand featuring the tagline "YOUR LONDON AIRPORT – Gatwick". Created by advertising agency Lewis Moberly, the new blue-and-white corporate identity is intended as a challenger brand to BAA and aims to differentiate Gatwick from rival Heathrow in support of majority owner GIP's corporate goal to establish Gatwick as London's airport of choice for passengers and airlines.^[68][69]

On 16 November 2010, Gatwick Airport Limited announced the appointment of Guy Stephenson as its new commercial director, with responsibility for the airport's airline route development and car parking strategies.^[67]

Traffic

1958–2000

Gatwick handled 186,172 passengers during its first seven months of operation following the 1956–58 reconstruction. By 1959, the number of passengers passing through the airport each year had grown to 368,000.^[23]

In 1968, annual passenger numbers at Gatwick hit the two million mark for the first time.^[70]

By the early 1970s, five million passengers used Gatwick each year. Within a decade, this figure doubled to ten million. It doubled again to over 20 million by the late 1980s.^[23][71][72]

By the turn of the millennium, Gatwick handled more than 30 million passengers annually.^[23]

2000 onwards

Passenger numbers peaked in 2007 when the airport handled over 35 million for the first time. However, this total had reduced to 32.4 million by 2009, an 8% reduction. Of Gatwick's passengers in 2009, 26 million used scheduled flights (80%) and 6.3 million (20%) non-scheduled services.^[2] The airport recorded 251,879 aircraft movements during that period.^[2] The steepest decline in passenger traffic during 2009 related to North Atlantic traffic, down 35.4% on 2008 as a result of that year's EU-US Open Skies Agreement and the recession following in the wake of the financial crisis that began in 2007. The latter also resulted in 18.9% fewer European charter passengers passing through the airport in 2009. On the other hand, European scheduled traffic accounted for the most resilient performance during that period, recording a 5.6% increase over 2008. Irish traffic was virtually unchanged, registering a 0.1% increase within the same period. That period also saw Gatwick's traffic mix change further, resulting in a significant decline in widebodied aircraft movements by long-haul full-service scheduled airlines that have traditionally accounted for a disproportionately large share of the airport's cargo volume. The cyclical and structural changes in the airport's traffic mix caused a further steep decline in its annual air freight volume, which fell by 30.7% to 74,680 metric tonnes in 2009.^[2]

November 2010 saw an overall increase in Gatwick's passenger numbers. Compared with November 2009, the total number of passengers passing through the airport rose by 2.7% to 2.123 million. This increase was entirely accounted for by a 10% rise in European scheduled traffic to 1,060,400 passengers. Other long-haul traffic (excluding North Atlantic) stood virtually unchanged (down by 0.1% to 406,200 passengers) while all other markets recorded decreases. Amongst these, only European charter traffic registered a double-digit decline (down by 13% to 129,400 passengers). North Atlantic, UK (including the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man) and Irish traffic showed smaller, single-digit reductions (down by 5.2, 3.3 and 2.8% to 131,000, 292,800 and 102,700 passengers respectively). Traffic growth was driven by additional capacity, mainly as a result of several new route launches in the European scheduled market. This helped improve average load factors by 2.2 percentage points to 75.2%. Air transport movements fell by 0.5% to 17,011 as a result of weather-related cancellations towards the end of the month. Cargo volume increased by 13.3% to 9,081 metric tonnes, marking the thirteenth consecutive month of growth.^[73]

Busiest routes

Busiest routes from Gatwick Airport (2009)^[74]

Rank	Airport	Passengers handled	% Change
1	Málaga Airport	1,116,403	3
2	Dublin Airport	1,057,828	1
3	Faro Airport	814,105	1
4	Alicante Airport	778,593	7
5	Orlando International Airport	736,571	0.9
6	Edinburgh Airport	647,908	8
7	Geneva International Airport	647,424	7
8	Madrid-Barajas Airport	633,842	5
9	Sharm el-Sheikh International Airport	612,182	24
10	Palma de Mallorca Airport	577,998	14
11	Dubai International Airport	569,971	11
12	Jersey Airport	555,971	7
13	Amsterdam Airport Schiphol	542,572	8
14	Dalaman Airport	539,415	5
15	Tenerife South Airport	527,508	12
16	Glasgow International Airport	514,660	1
17	Barcelona Airport	463,256	14
18	Bridgetown Airport	455,656	0.8
19	Venice Marco Polo Airport	442,250	4
20	Paphos International Airport	433,821	11

Gatwick today

Facilities

Gatwick Airport has two terminals, North and South. Both have shops and restaurants, landside and airside. Disabled passengers can travel through all areas. There are facilities for baby changing and feeding, and play areas and video games for children. Business travellers have lounges offering business facilities. On 31 May 2008, Virgin Holidays opened V Room, Gatwick's first dedicated lounge for leisure travellers. Use of this lounge is exclusive to Virgin Holidays customers flying from the airport to Orlando, Las Vegas and the Caribbean with sister airline Virgin Atlantic.^[75][76] On 9 April 2009, a new independent pay-for-access lounge called No.1 Traveller opened in the South Terminal. It also serves US Airways Envoy passengers. There is also a conference and business centre. Furthermore, the airport has several on- and off-site hotels. These range from executive to a capsule hotel.

South Terminal zone A check-in concourse

The airport has Anglican, Catholic and Free Church Chaplains. In addition, there is a multi-faith prayer room and counselling room in each terminal. A daily service is led by one of the chaplains. The prayer room is open to all faiths.

The Civil Aviation Authority Safety Regulation Group is in Aviation House on the grounds of Gatwick Airport.^[77]

The Beehive, a former terminal building at Gatwick Airport, served as the head office of GB Airways.^[78]

Major airlines

BA and EasyJet are Gatwick's two dominant resident airlines. In late 2007, BA and easyJet accounted for 25% and 17% of Gatwick's slots. The latter's share of slots subsequently rose to 24% as a result of its takeover of BA franchise carrier GB Airways, which accounted for 7% of slots (late 2007). The acquisition of GB Airways in March 2008 resulted in easyJet becoming Gatwick's biggest short-haul operator accounting for 29% of short-haul passengers (ahead of BA's 23%)^[79] and Gatwick's largest airline overall, with flights to 62 domestic and European destinations (at April 2008).^[80] By summer 2010, easyJet further reinforced its position as Gatwick's leading airline by increasing the number of destinations served from the airport to 83, using a fleet of 42 aircraft.^[81] Gatwick is the airline's largest base, where its 10 million passengers per annum account for almost 30% of the airport's yearly total.^[82]

British Airways aircraft on stand at the North Terminal's Pier 5

On 30 March 2008, airlines began down-sizing transatlantic operations due to the new EU-US Open Skies Agreement. Continental Airlines is the second transatlantic carrier – after American Airlines^[83] – to pull out of Gatwick altogether, following its decision to transfer the seasonal Cleveland service to Heathrow from 3 May 2009.^[84][85] The slots vacated by these moves as well as by the collapse of Zoom, XL Airways UK and Sterling were taken by easyJet, Flybe, Norwegian Air Shuttle and Ryanair.

By late 2008, easyJet's share of Gatwick slots had grown to about 26%,^[86][87] while Flybe had become Gatwick's third-largest slot-holder accounting for 9% of the airport's slots, as well as its fastest-growing airline.^[87][88][89] As per the CAA's April/May 2009 passenger statistics, more UK domestic passengers flying to and from London Gatwick during April 2009 chose Flybe than any other airline.^[90]

From a peak of 40% in 2001, BA's share of Gatwick slots declined by 50% to 20% by summer 2009.^[87]

Changing character of airport

South Terminal zone K check-in concourse

According to the evidence Flybe submitted at a Competition Commission hearing into BAA's market dominance at the beginning of 2008, Gatwick's dynamics were changing rapidly as a result of recent changes in its traffic pattern. These were likely to transform the airport from a secondary intercontinental airline hub into a predominantly European and domestic operation feeding London and specifically the south London market.^[91]

Operations

Gatwick operates as a single runway airport. Strictly speaking it has two runways; however, the northern runway (08L/26R) can only be used when the main runway (08R/26L) is out of use, for example because of maintenance or an accident. The runways cannot be used at the same time because there is insufficient separation between them, and during normal operation the northern runway is used as a taxiway.^[23][54][55] It can take 15 minutes to change from one runway to the other.

Various aircraft at the North Terminal's Pier 4

The main runway operates with a Category III Instrument Landing System. The northern runway does not have an Instrument Landing System and, when it is in use, arriving aircraft use a combination of Distance Measuring Equipment and assistance from the approach controller using surveillance radar, or where equipped and subject to operator approval, an RNAV (GNSS) Approach, which is also available for the main runway.^[92] On all runways, considerable use is made of continuous descent approach to minimise environmental effects of incoming aircraft, particularly at night.^[93]

Night flights are subject to restrictions.^[94] Between 11pm and 7am the noisiest aircraft (rated QC/8 and QC/16) may not operate. In addition, between 11.30pm and 6am (the night quota period) there are three limits:

• An overall limit on the number of flights;
• A Quota Count system which limits the total of noise permitted, but allows operators to choose to operate fewer noisy aircraft or a greater number of quieter planes;^[95]
• QC/4 aircraft may not operate at night.

Security

The airport is policed by the Gatwick District of Sussex Police. The district is responsible for policing the whole airport, including aircraft, and in certain circumstances, aircraft in flight. The 150 officers attached to this district include armed and unarmed officers, and community support officers for minor offences. The airport district counter man-portable surface-to-air missiles (MANPADS) by patrolling in and around the airport. A separate sub-unit has vehicle checks around the airport.^[96]

Brook House, an immigration removal centre of the UK Border Agency was opened on 18 March 2009 by the then Home Secretary, Jacqui Smith.^[97]

Airlines and destinations

Gatwick has two terminals: North and South. The South Terminal is Gatwick's older and busier terminal, and is also where the airport railway station is located. In March 2008, EasyJet split its Gatwick services between both terminals, with many routes taken over from GB Airways now departing from the North Terminal. The following list includes all scheduled services to and from Gatwick Airport, as well as seasonal charter flights.^[98]

Cargo

• Royal Jordanian Cargo ^[103]
• Turkish Airlines Cargo ^[104]

Ground transport

North Terminal A23 roundabout

Gatwick has set the objective that 40% of passengers should be using public transport by the time the annual throughput reaches 40 million (estimated in 2015), from the 2006 figure of 35.3%.^[105]

Road

The airport is accessed by a motorway spur road at junction 9A of the M23, which links to the main M23 motorway a mile (1.5 km) east at junction 9. The M23 connects with London's orbital motorway. The M25, 9 miles (14 km) north, gives access to Greater London and the South East. The M23 is the main route by traffic to reach the airport. Gatwick is accessed locally by the A23, which serves Horley and Redhill to the north and Crawley and Brighton to the south. The A217 provides access northwards to the local town of Reigate.

The airport has long and short-stay car parks – at the airport and off-site – although these are often full in summer. Local planning restrictions limit car parking at and around Gatwick.

Rail

Gatwick Express route map
London Victoria Redhill Gatwick Airport Haywards Heath Burgess Hill Hassocks Preston Park Brighton

Gatwick Airport railway station

The Gatwick Airport railway station is next to South Terminal and provides connections along the Brighton Main Line to London Victoria and London Bridge stations, as well as Brighton and Worthing to the south. Gatwick Express to Victoria is the best-known service from the station, but other companies, including Southern, First Capital Connect and First Great Western, use the station as well. First Capital Connect provide direct trains to Luton Airport and First Great Western trains provide a direct rail link with Reading and connections with Oxford and the West.

Foot passengers can reach Heathrow by a X26 Express Bus from outside East Croydon station.

Bus and coach

National Express Coaches operates coaches to Heathrow Airport and Stansted Airport, as well as cities and towns throughout the region and country. Oxford Bus Company operate direct services to Oxford. EasyBus operates minicoaches from both terminals to Earls Court/West Brompton. (National Express Dot2Dot used to operate a service to central London, but this ceased in 2008.)

Local buses connect North and South terminals with Crawley, Horley, Redhill, Horsham and other destinations. Services are offered by Metrobus and Fastway, a guided bus rapid transit system which was the first of its kind to be constructed outside a major city.

There are at least two sets of stairs for foot-passengers to leave South Terminal to ground-level (near the cycle route) from Zone L and the train-station area (steps are labelled Exit Q and Exit P on the ground). These allow access to bus stops for local services.

Cycle

Route 21 of the National Cycle Network passes under South Terminal, allowing virtually traffic-free cycling northwards to Horley and southwards to Three Bridges and Crawley. A goods-style lift runs between the terminal and ground level (signed "Lift to Cycle Route"), near Zone L.

Terminal transfer

Gatwick Airport Shuttle
North Terminal                to London South Terminal     Gatwick Airport    to Brighton

Gatwick Airport inter-terminal transit

The satellite pier transit system in 1988

Gatwick Airport's North and South terminals are connected by a 0.75 miles (1.21 km) elevated two-way automated people mover track. The shuttle system is normally operated by two automatic, three-car driverless train vehicles. Although colloquially referred to widely as a "monorail",^[106] the shuttle system runs on a dual concrete track with rubber tyres and is not technically a monorail.

The original Gatwick transit system opened in 1983 when the circular satellite pier was built, connecting the pier to the main terminal building, and was the UK's first automated people mover system. A second transit track was constructed in 1987 to link to the new North terminal.^[106] The original satellite transit line was later replaced with a walkway and travelator link, but the inter-terminal shuttle remains in operation today.

The original Adtranz C-100 people mover cars remained in continuous operation until 2009, in which time they travelled a total of 2.5 million miles. In September 2009 the vehicles were withdrawn from service to allow the transit system to be upgraded. Meanwhile, the two terminals were connected by a temporary free bus service. A new operating system and shuttle cars consisting of six Bombardier CX-100 vehicles^[107] was installed and the guideway and transit stations were refurbished at a cost of £45 million. The new system opened for use again on 1 July 2010, two months ahead of schedule.^[108][109]

Development

In 1979, an agreement was reached with West Sussex County Council not to build a second runway before 2019.^[54][55]

In its original consultation document published on 23 July 2002^[110] the Government decided to expand Stansted and Heathrow, but not Gatwick. However, Medway Council, Kent County Council and Essex County Council sought a judicial review of this decision. The judge reviewing the lawfulness of the Government's decision ruled that excluding Gatwick from the original consultation was irrational and/or unfair.^[110] Following the judge's ruling and the Secretary of State for Transport's decision not to appeal, BAA published new consultation documents.^[110] These included an option of a possible second runway at Gatwick to the south of the existing airport boundary, leaving the villages Charlwood and Hookwood to the north of the airport intact. This led to protests about increased noise and pollution, demolition of houses and destruction of villages.^[111]

Gate area inside the North Terminal, showing flight information screens

Prior to the change of ownership, BAA planned an £874 million investment at Gatwick over five years, including increased capacity for both terminals, improvements to the transport interchange and a new baggage system for the South Terminal.^[112]

On 2 December 2009, the House of Commons Transport Select Committee published a report entitled The future of aviation. With regard to Gatwick, it calls on the Government to reconsider its decision to build a second runway at Stansted, in the light of growing evidence that the business case is unconvincing and that Gatwick is a better location.^[113]

In April 2008, Gatwick began work on a new inter-terminal shuttle which signalled the first major development in a £1 billion programme aimed at modernising the airport. The project included the installation of a completely new shuttle system, new shuttle cars, refurbishment of the rubber track and transformation of the terminal stations. The launch took place in July 2010 and attendees included James van Hofton, from the board of directors. The shuttle cost £43million and features included live journey information and the use of sensory technology to count the number of passengers at stations.

Plans

Several options to expand Gatwick have been considered, including building a third terminal and second runway to the south of the existing runway. This would allow Gatwick to handle more passengers than Heathrow does today. In the case of a second, wide-spaced (as opposed to close parallel) runway being given the go-ahead, a new terminal could be sited between the two runways. This could either complement or replace the current South Terminal, depending on expected future traffic developments.^[114]

A less ambitious alternative centres on extending the North Terminal further south with another passenger bridge to an area currently occupied by aircraft stands without jet bridges (Pier 7).^[114] There are also plans to expand the capacity of the North Terminal and to extend Pier 6.

In October 2009, BAA submitted planning applications for Gatwick to handle an extra six million passengers annually by 2018 and for an extension to the North Terminal to provide new check-in facilities and additional baggage reclaim hall capacity, along with a 900 space short-stay car park.^[115] Crawley Borough Council's decision to approve these plans was upheld in November 2009 by the Government's refusal to hold a public inquiry despite objections from local environmental protesters.^[116]

Speaking at the first Gatwick Airport Consultative Committee (Gatcom) meeting since GIP's takeover of the airport (held on 28 January 2010 at Crawley's Arora Hotel), Gatwick's recently appointed chairman Sir David Rowlands ruled out building a second runway for the foreseeable future, citing the high cost of the associated planning application — estimated to be between £100 million and £200 million — as the main reason for the new owners' lack of interest. At that meeting, Gatwick chief executive Stewart Wingate stressed GIP's preference for increasing the existing runway's capacity and confirmed GIP's plans to request an increase in the current limit on the permitted number of take-offs and landings.^[117]

In October 2010, Gatwick Airport Limited received planning permission from Crawley Borough Council to adapt both terminals to handle the Airbus A380 on a regular, commercial basis.^[118]

Incidents and accidents

• 17 February 1959 – a Turkish Airlines Vickers Viscount 794D (registration: TC-SEV) on an international charter flight crashed in heavy fog at Newdigate, Surrey, whilst approaching to land at Gatwick. The plane hit some trees. Fourteen of 24 on board died. Turkish Prime Minister Adnan Menderes was amongst the survivors.^{[119][120][121][122]}

• 2 September 1963 – an Iberia Lockheed L-1049G Super Constellation (registration: EC-AMQ) leased by Aviaco and operating a charter flight from Barcelona, Spain, brushed trees on Russ Hill while on final approach to London Gatwick. Although the aircraft sustained minor damage as a result of this incident, which occurred during the descent, ca. 220 ft above and 1¾ nmi from the runway threshold, it landed safely and none of the 75 passengers on board were injured.^[123]

• 5 January 1969 – a Boeing 727-113C (registration: YA-FAR) operating flight 701 of Ariana Afghan Airlines arriving from Frankfurt Rhein-Main Airport, Germany, crashed into a house in Fernhill near Horley, Surrey, in low visibility. The flaps were not extended to maintain flight at final approach speed. Forty-eight of the 62 on board died as well as two on the ground.^{[120][124][125][126]}

• 28 January 1972 – a British Caledonian Vickers VC-10-1109 (registration: G-ARTA) sustained severe structural damage as a result of an exceptionally hard landing at Gatwick at the end of a short ferry flight from Heathrow, where the aircraft had been diverted due to Gatwick being fog-bound and where all passengers had disembarked. A survey of the aircraft's damage revealed that its airframe had been bent out of shape and that it required extensive repairs to be restored to an airworthy condition. The airline's senior management decided that these repairs were not cost-effective. The aircraft was written off and a decision taken to have it scrapped. It was eventually broken up at Gatwick in 1975.^[127][128]

• 20 July 1975 – a British Island Airways (BIA) Handley Page Dart Herald (registration: G-APWF) was involved in a runway accident while departing on a scheduled flight to Guernsey. The aircraft lifted off from runway 26 after a ground run of 760m and appeared airborne for 125m with its landing gear retracting before the rear underside of the fuselage settled back on to the runway. None of the 45 occupants were hurt.^[129][130]

Notes

See also

• List of airports in the United Kingdom
• World's busiest airports by passenger traffic
• Busiest airports in Europe by passenger traffic

References

• Gwynne, Peter. (1990) A History of Crawley (2nd Edition) Philmore. ISBN 0-85033-718-6
• King, John, with Tait, Geoff, (1980) Golden Gatwick – 50 Years of Aviation, British Airports Authority.
• King, John, (1986) Gatwick – The Evolution of an Airport, Gatwick Airport Ltd. and Sussex Industrial Archaeology Society. ISBN 0-9512036-0-6
• Bain, Gordon, (1994), Gatwick Airport, Airlife Publishing Ltd. ISBN 1-85310-468-x
• Eglin, Roger, and Ritchie, Berry (1980). Fly me, I'm Freddie. London, UK: Weidenfeld and Nicolson. ISBN 0-2977-7746-7. 
• Thomson, Adam (1999). High Risk: The Politics of the Air. London, UK: Sidgwick and Jackson. ISBN 0-2839-9599-8. 
• Simons, Graham M. (1993). The Spirit of Dan-Air. Peterborough, UK: GMS Enterprises. ISBN 1-8703-8420-2. 
• Simons, Graham M. (1999). It was nice to fly with friends! The story of Air Europe. Peterborough, UK: GMS Enterprises. ISBN 1-8703-8469-5. 
• Branson, Richard (2006 [2nd reprint]). Losing my Virginity – The Autobiography. London, UK: Virgin Books Ltd. ISBN 0-7535-1020-0. 
• Financial Times, 26 October 2007. London, UK: UK Edition. 
• Skyport – Gatwick edition (Iyengar, K., "Bermuda Bloomers", "Golden Gatwick", p. 18), 8 February 2008. Hounslow, UK. 
• Skyport – Gatwick edition (Iyengar, K., "The only way is up", "Golden Gatwick", p. 14), 11 April 2008. Hounslow, UK. 
• Skyport – Gatwick edition (Iyengar, K., "Heading North", "Golden Gatwick", p. 16), 9 May 2008. Hounslow, UK. 
• Skyport – Gatwick edition (Cooper, B., "Got your number", "Golden Gatwick", p. 12), 6 June 2008. Hounslow, UK. 
• Skyport – Gatwick edition (Dixon, A., "Second runway plans to remain grounded", pp. 1, 3), 26 February 2010. Hounslow, UK. 
• Financial Times, 10 February 2010. London, UK: UK Edition. 

External links

• Official website

Airports in the United Kingdom Smaller font-size indicates airports handling domestic, charter or private services only. England Birmingham · Blackpool · Bournemouth · Bristol · Doncaster-Sheffield · Durham Tees Valley · East Midlands · Exeter · Gatwick · Humberside · Leeds-Bradford · Liverpool · London City · London Heathrow · London Luton · London Stansted · London Southend • Manchester · Newcastle · Newquay · Norwich · Plymouth · Southampton Biggin Hill • Gloucestershire • Kent • Land's End • Oxford • Penzance • St Mary's • Tresco Scotland Aberdeen · Edinburgh · Glasgow International · Glasgow Prestwick · Inverness Barra • Benbecula • Campbeltown • Dundee • Eday • Fair Isle • Islay • Kirkwall • Lerwick • North Ronaldsay • Oban • Papa Westray • Sanday • Scatsta • Stornoway • Stronsay • Sumburgh • Tiree • Westray • Wick Wales Cardiff Anglesey Northern Ireland Belfast City · Belfast International · City of Derry Crown Dependencies Alderney · Guernsey · Isle of Man · Jersey