If recently released figures are anything to go by, Gatwick Airport’s growth has exceeded industry predictions. The airport announced an increase in frequency of two routes which is expected to spur more connectivity to Asia and Africa.
Starting June 1 next year, Gatwick-based Cathay Pacific will increase its service from London to Hong Kong from four times weekly to six daily non-stop flights.
Moreover, the airport now hosts Thomas Cook Airlines, running three weekly flights from Gatwick to Cape Town, until March 21, 2017.
In November passenger traffic grew by 7.1% year-on-year, the airport having served 3.9 million passengers. Long haul flights grew by 20%, which was a major contributing factor to Gatwick’s growth.
Gatwick chief executive Stewart Wingate said: “Almost three million more passengers are travelling through the airport this year versus the same time last year, with 42.7 million passengers passing through the airport annually – a figure that puts us 14 years ahead of industry predictions.
“Passengers are responding to our growing line-up of long-haul connections with routes to China, Peru, Canada, Costa Rica, Nigeria, as well as the US added this last year.”
This year, Gatwick will add even more airline partners, in its Gatwick Connects service, when the planned January terminal switch takes place. The 72 -hour switch which is slated for between January 23 and 26 will see EasyJet, Virgin Atlantic and British Airways swap terminals.
This will allow the airport to attract new airlines by providing feeder traffic and connecting passengers.
Exuding confidence in Gatwick’s 2017 plans, the airport’s commercial director Guy Stephenson said: “It is inevitable that the low-cost carriers will be providing feed traffic to long-haul in some form.”
He added that the airport had strategically invested in physical infrastructure as well as IT upgrades to facilitate greater connectivity this year and beyond.