Gatwick Airport saw a 15% rise in passenger footfall in April, representing almost 500,000 more people than the same month last year and a total of 3.8 million travelers.
The news marks 50 months of consecutive growth, which was supported by a busy Easter weekend and fortnight-long school holidays.
Long haul routes continued their steep growth, up 23% year-on-year, and cargo also rose by 27.2%. North Atlantic routes performed especially well with a total 35.2% rise, with New York alone experiencing a 70% rise in popularity, Los Angeles demand up 56% and Fort Lauderdale up 53%.
Gatwick’s connections throughout the UK and Channel Islands also performed strongly in April, up 10.7% on April 2016. Belfast saw a 27% increase, Jersey 10% and Edinburgh up 9%.
Stewart Wingate, CEO at Gatwick Airport, commented, “Gatwick’s vital role for Britain shines through our latest traffic figures as the airport continues to go from strength to strength as we gear up for our biggest summer yet.
“Confidence in Gatwick is unrelenting as our existing carriers increase frequencies, Cathay Pacific will be providing a daily connection Gatwick to Hong Kong from June, and new routes are announced.
“We continue our trailblazing low-cost long-haul revolution, bringing more parts of the globe within reach of more Britons, with the world’s furthest low-cost long-haul connection just announced between Gatwick and Singapore, from Norwegian.”