Gatwick Airport offers support to EU membership as passenger numbers rise

Gatwick Airport achieved its busiest ever January with 2.5 million passengers travelling through the airport, a 5.7 per cent increase on the previous year.

With 11 new routes (including Hong Kong, Lima and San Francisco) already announced for 2016, this week saw the Airport’s Council International Europe announce that Gatwick is one of Europe’s fastest growing airports.

European routes grew 5.3 per cent year on year in January with strong growth seen from routes including Vienna, Funchal and Dublin.

Long-haul routes performed particularly strongly, 8.7 per cent year on year with North Atlantic routes driving this growth.

Destinations contributing to this significant North Atlantic growth include New York, Los Angeles and Las Vegas.

An additional 135,417 passengers travelled through London Gatwick in January compared to the same month in 2015.

Passenger growth is the result of more air traffic movements per hour and larger aircraft being used by airlines. Average load factors were 75.1 per cent.

Gatwick chief executive Stewart Wingate said: “Strong growth in our European routes – coupled with the on-going demand for more and more long haul services – has helped ensure the airport’s place among the fastest growing airports of Europe.

“As one of the biggest businesses in the UK – and indeed the UK’s best connected airport – we and, more importantly, our passengers have benefited from being part of a liberalised market and from the influence being in the EU provides.

“We firmly believe that it is in the interest of passengers, business, and the UK to stay in the European Union.”