Gatwick Airport has reported a big uptick in passenger numbers, with 19.9 million travellers passing by way of its terminals within the first half of 2024, marking a 7.7% enhance in comparison with the identical interval final yr.
The UK’s second-largest airport attributes this progress to a powerful restoration in short-haul journey, whilst long-haul passenger numbers proceed to lag behind pre-pandemic ranges.
Revenues at Gatwick rose by 15.3% to £488 million within the first six months of 2024, whereas pre-tax earnings surged by 36% to £136.3 million. Regardless of these good points, general passenger numbers stay 10% beneath the degrees seen within the first half of 2019, with long-haul journey notably affected—down by 30% from pre-pandemic figures.
Stewart Wingate, Gatwick’s Chief Govt, famous that some long-haul flight slots have been quickly reallocated to short-haul carriers however expressed optimism that these will revert to long-haul use because the airport continues to broaden its community, particularly with airways from India, China, and different elements of Asia.
Gatwick’s short-haul community stays strong, with 16.9 million passengers within the first half of 2024—simply 5.6% shy of pre-pandemic numbers. Wingate anticipates that short-haul passenger volumes within the latter half of the yr will surpass these of 2019.
The airport can also be awaiting authorities approval to carry its emergency northern runway into common use, a key a part of its £2.2 billion enlargement plan. If authorised, this could enable Gatwick to deal with as much as 75 million passengers yearly by the late 2030s, a big enhance from the 40.9 million passengers recorded final yr.
