London’s Gatwick Airport has reopened its 160,000m2 South Terminal – increasing its daily flights from 300 to 570.
The terminal closed during the pandemic on June 15, 2020. In preparation for the reopening, Gatwick and its partners – including airlines, shops, cafes and bars – carried out refurbishing and cleaning, alongside updating and testing facilities and equipment.
Approximately 50 miles worth of lines were painted onto aircraft stands, 4,500 floor tiles and 3,000 lamps and light fittings were replaced, 800 flight information display screens (FIDS) were checked and serviced, and 212 new hand sanitizers were put in place.
As a result of the reopening, 27 airlines will move back to the South Terminal between March 27 and March 29, having flown from the airport’s North Terminal for the last 21 months. These airlines include British Airways (BA), Wizz Air, Vueling, Ryanair, Aer Lingus and Norwegian.
BA will operate 35 short haul routes to destinations across Europe, Wizz Air 25 European routes and Vueling a total of 16 routes from the reopened South Terminal. easyJet will operate 120 routes from Gatwick through both the North and South Terminals.
Airlines including BA, TUI, Emirates, Qatar, WestJet, Air Transat, JetBlue and Norse Atlantic will also be flying to over 30 long haul destinations direct from Gatwick this summer, including New York, Tampa, Phuket, Mauritius, Dubai, Doha and Bangkok – alongside a range of routes to Canada, the Caribbean and Mexico. The airport highlights that the increase in destinations flown direct from Gatwick – combined with positive booking data to date – indicates a strong summer season this year.
Stewart Wingate, CEO of Gatwick Airport, said, “A lot of work has gone into preparing our South Terminal, and I would like to thank everybody involved as their combined efforts mean that today we are effectively opening a medium-size airport overnight, which is no small task.
“We’re now ready and excited to welcome passengers back in large numbers, and our restaurants, shops, cafes and bars are also looking forward to serving passengers again before they jet off on holiday, to visit friends and family or take that vital business trip.
“After a difficult two years, we know there is significant pent-up demand for international travel, so I advise passengers to book early to make sure they secure the flights they want this summer.
“Reopening our South Terminal and the increase in the choice of flights our airlines are offering is also great news for our local communities, particularly people and their families who rely on the airport for their livelihood, and also the large number of support and supply businesses that depend on a successful airport.”