London Gatwick recorded its busiest ever March in 2016 after accommodating more than 3.1 million passengers, a 5.8% increase over the same month in 2014. The increase also meant that the airport reached another significant milestone in its history as it celebrated three years of consecutive growth.
The increase in travellers has been largely attributed to the performance of long-haul routes with 9.6% growth year-on-year, driven by North Atlantic routes (+19.3%) including Los Angeles (+62.8%), Toronto (+60.3%) and Vancouver (+35.8%).
Stewart Wingate, CEO, London Gatwick, said, “Three years of consecutive growth shows Gatwick continues to provide what our passengers want – more choice and better value to a greater range of destinations. Our 20 new routes this summer, including Hong Kong, Cape Town, Vancouver, Lima and Costa Rica, are a resounding endorsement of the airport, from our existing carriers plus new airlines including Cathay Pacific and WestJet.
“An expanded Gatwick would build on this momentum and deliver yet more competition and choice for passengers – only last week Norwegian pledged 50 Dreamliners to a two-runway Gatwick which would transform the UK long-haul market.
“Government backing for Gatwick expansion this year will mean that the UK finally and definitively has a solution to its long enduring aviation capacity issue. Our plan is legal, affordable, cleaner and quieter, and will finally deliver for Britain.”