Gatwick Airport has announced that 3.6 million passengers traveled through the airport in May 2015, a 5.8% increase on the previous year and the 27th consecutive month of growth.
The airport is on track to see a growth of 8 million passengers per annum since the break-up of the BAA monopoly in 2009.
With a decision expected shortly on the UK’s next runway, the Airports Commission has already stated that expansion at Gatwick “would enhance competition in the London airport system”, while an independent OECD report also called for the government to “ensure strong competitive pressures among airports” when making a decision on expansion.
Gatwick Airport CEO Stewart Wingate said, “Gatwick’s record growth continues to prove that greater competition is working for passengers and businesses. With the expansion decision approaching, it is time to write the next chapter in one of the greatest policy success stories of recent years.
“Choosing airport competition over monopoly is the only answer that is right for the whole of the UK. Expanding Gatwick would enhance competition, meaning Gatwick grows, Heathrow improves, and every part of the UK benefits from a stronger network of competing airports providing passengers more choice, higher standards and lower fares.”
An additional 199,000 passengers traveled through Gatwick in May with the largest percentage growth coming from North Atlantic routes (17.6%). This is driven largely by the success of the Norwegian Air Shuttle operation, offering low-cost long-haul flights to four destinations in the US: New York, New York; Los Angeles, California; and Fort Lauderdale and Orlando in Florida.