Gatwick Airport has reported a significant rise in passenger numbers, with 19.9 million passengers passing through its terminals in the first half of 2024, a 7.7% increase compared to the same period last year.
The UK’s second-largest airport attributes the growth to a strong recovery in short-haul travel, even as long-haul passenger numbers continue to lag behind pre-pandemic levels.
Gatwick revenues rose 15.3% to £488m in the first six months of 2024, while pre-tax profits rose 36% to £136.3m. Despite these gains, overall passenger numbers remain 10% below the levels seen in the first half of 2019, with long-haul travel particularly hard hit – down 30% on pre-pandemic figures.
Gatwick Airport chief executive Stuart Wingate noted that some long-haul slots had been temporarily reallocated to short-haul airlines, but he was optimistic that these slots would return to long-haul use as the airport continued to expand its network, particularly with airlines from India, China and other parts of Asia.
Gatwick’s short-haul network remains strong, with passenger numbers forecast to reach 16.9 million in the first half of 2024, just 5.6% below pre-pandemic figures. Wingate expects short-haul passenger volumes in the latter half of the year to exceed 2019 levels.
The airport is also awaiting government approval to operate the northern emergency runway on a regular basis, a key part of its £2.2bn expansion plan. If approved, it would allow Gatwick to handle up to 75 million passengers a year by the late 2030s, a significant increase on the 40.9 million passengers recorded last year.