Airport Profile

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Contents

At a Glance
Brief History
Airport Facts and Figures
  - CAA Airport Statistics 2010
  - CAA's 2006 Passenger Survey
Aeronautical Data
Control of Noise
Looking Ahead

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Brief History

For centuries the land now occupied by the Airport was part of a manor owned by the Gatwick family who acquired it in the 13th century. It is from them that the name of the Airport comes.

In the 1890s the land was sold for use as a racecourse and indeed during the First World War it was used as the venue for the Grand National normally run at Aintree.

The land continued to be used as a racecourse but in 1930 a small flying club was opened which allowed owners, trainers, race-goers and jockeys to travel to and from race meetings by air.

In 1933, the race course was acquired by investor Morris Jackman who formed Airports Limited and drew up plans for an Airport. By 1936 scheduled flights were operating to several overseas destinations including Paris, Belfast, Malmo, Hamburg and Copenhagen. A circular terminal called "The Beehive" was built, with a subway connecting it to Gatwick railway station – opened in 1935 - so that passengers could use the Brighton line to travel to the Airport without braving the elements.

During the Second World War the airport was taken over by the Air Ministry for RAF use. After the war the airport – still with grass runways - was taken over by the Ministry of Civil Aviation.

During the late 50’s, to meet ever the growing demand for air travel in London and the South-East, it was decided to develop Gatwick as London’s second main airport. Between 1956 and 1958 the airport was closed for an extensive (£7.8 million) renovation. The new Gatwick was the world's first airport with a dedicated railway station, and was one of the first to use a fully enclosed pier-based terminal design with covered jetbridges connecting directly to the aircraft.

The Queen opened the airport in 1958. Its first full year of operation saw 368,000 passengers pass through its terminal, which today equates to a busy weekend. Since then the Airport has grown apace.  The highlights of the rest of the Airport's story are as follows:

• 1962 - two more piers built.
• 1964 - the runway extended to 8,200 feet. (The runway was extended again in 1970 then again in 1973)
• 1965 - British Airports Authority established
• 1968 – passenger throughput reaches 2 million for the first time. 1983 - work begins on building the £200 million North Terminal - completed in 1988
• 1979 - agreement with West Sussex County Council preventing the construction of a second runway at Gatwick before 2019
• 1984 – the Gatwick Express rail service launches its non-stop service from Victoria station.
• 1984 - new Control Tower built (still among the largest in Europe).
• 1984 - Pier 2 opens providing extra jetty-served stands.
• 1985 - construction starts on the new Gatwick airport northern runway - built for use if the main runway is not available.
• 1986 - Airports Act provides for the for privatisation of the British Airports Authority with the transfer of its property, rights and liabilities to a new company, BAA plc
• 1987 - BAA plc floated on the Stock Market
• 1994 - new North Terminal International Departures Lounge opens and the first phase of the new South Terminal International Departures Lounge.
• 2000 - new £29.5m extension to the international departure lounge in the South Terminal opens offering increased seating capacity and new shops and restaurants.
• 2000 - BAA Gatwick published its Sustainable Development Strategy for the airport setting out how the airport is to develop over the next nine years.
• 2001 - new £35m extension to the North Terminal international departure lounge opens offering passengers extra seating and a wider range of shops and catering facilities.
• 2001 - legal agreement signed with West Sussex County Council and Crawley Borough Council to protect local communities from the impacts of future airport growth.
• 2003 - Government publishes its White Paper The Future of Air Transport which which sets the policy for future airport capacity across the UK , including the South East. It says that land should be safeguarded for a possible second wide-spaced runway at Gatwick after 2019.
• 2004 - first phase of Pier 6 completed. (The Pier 6 passenger bridge is the largest air passenger bridge to cross a taxiway in the world, and the only one of its kind in the UK.)
• 2005 – BAA Gatwick publishes for consultation its Outline Airport Master Plan . The plan, a potential blueprint for the airport in 2015 and in 2030, has been developed in response to the Government's White Paper The Future of Air Transport published in 2003 - see above.
• 2005 – Pier 6 was opened, the world’s first air-passenger bridge to span a live taxi-way opened connecting the North Terminal to 11 new pier-served stands. The bridge is large enough for a Boeing 747 to pass underneath.
• 2006 – interim airport master plan was published.
• 2006 - BAA was acquired by Airport Development and Investment Ltd (ADI), a consortium led by Grupo Ferrovial.
• 2008 – A new legal agreement, which superseded the 2001 section 106 agreement, was entered into with West Sussex County Council and Crawley Borough Council.  The new agreement sets out the airport company’s objectives on a range of issues, such as environmental impact and surface access.
• 2008 - in June Gatwick celebrated its 50th anniversary. Later that year in September, BAA announced that the airport would be put up for sale.
• 2009 - BAA sells Gatwick Airport to Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP) for a reputed £1.5bn.
• 2010 – in June/July, Gatwick Airport Limited revealed its new brand identity, heralding the start of a £1 billion plan to transform the airport and opened the new inter-terminal shuttle.

• 2011 - North Terminal Extension - opened by former Prime Minister, Sir John Major

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Airport Facts and Figures

CAA Airport Statistics 2010

1. These figures are drawn from the CAA's Annual Airports Statistics 2010 which can be accessed at their website  The Annual statistics are usually issued in the March or April following the end of the calendar year in question.  These firgures will, therefore, be updated again in March or April 2012.
2.  A "terminal passenger" is a passenger joining or leaving an aircraft at the airport. A passenger who changes from one aircraft to another, carrying the same flight number (change of gauge) is treated as a terminal passenger, as is an interlining passenger.
3.  A "transit passenger" is a passenger who arrives at and departs from the airport on the same aircraft which is transiting the airport. Each transit passenger is counted once only and not both on arrival and on departure.
4.  Click the thumbnails to see larger charts

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Flights

The total number of flights in 2010 was 240,50 (2009: 251,879 - down 4.5%). This number can be broken down as follows:

Air Transport Movements - 234,011 (97.11%) including Air Taxi  (458)
Business Aviation  - 1452 (0.64%)
Positioning Flights  -4538 (1.89%)
Military  - 4
Official  - 12
Aero Club  - Nil
Private  - 56
Local Movements  - 0
Test and Training  - 40
Other Flights  - 256

Notes: (1) "Air transport" movements are landings or take-offs of aircraft engaged on the transport of passengers, cargo or mail on commercial terms.
(2) An "air taxi" movement is a movement by an aircraft of less than 15 tonnes MTWA operating on a non-scheduled service. These are predominantly sole-use charter operations.

Chart 1 shows the total number of aircraft movements at Gatwick year by year since 1988.  It will be seen that by 2000 there had been a 43% increase in flights. After that the number of flights fell off slightly and it was not until 2005 that the 2000 level was again reached. Because of the recession the number of movements fell again in 2008 and 2009. 2009 the number of movements was 37.7% higher than in 1987

Chart 2 shows the total number of scheduled and charter air transport movements for 2009.  Scheduled movements made up 80% of the total.  Just under 78% of air transport movements at Gatwick are by UK airlines (Chart 3) .

1. Total Aircraft Movements 1988 - 2010		2. Air Transport Movements - Scheduled and Charter 2010
3. Air Transport Movements by Nationality of Airline 2010		4. Carriage of Freight 2010
5. Carriage of Mail 2010		From Charts 4 and 5 it will be seen that once again in 2010 a good deal more freight, and most mail, is carried on scheduled rather than charter flights.

The number of flights diverted for weather or other reasons totalled 222- see Chart 6. This represents just 0.18% of the total number of landings.  Chart 7 shows the airports to which these flights were diverted - Stansted, Heathrow, Manchester, Birmingham and Luton were the most popular places.

6. Diversions 2010 - Monthly Totals

7. 2010 Diversions - Destinations

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Passengers

In 2010 the total number of passengers using the airport was 31,375,290, a decrease of 1,017,230 (3.14%) over the previous year

8. Terminal Passenger Totals 1988-2010		9. Scheduled and Charter Terminal Passengers 2010
10. Terminal Passenger Totals 2010 - EU, Other International and UK Domestic destinations		11. Total Passengers by Nationality of Airline 2010

In 2010 just over 81% of passengers flew on scheduled services while the remainder used charter flights (Chart 9).  Charts 10 shows that in 2010 11% of passengers flew to or from UK destinations, 58% of passengers to or from EU destinations and the remainder (31%) to or from the rest of the world. Just over 78% of passengers used UK airlines, 13% other EU airlines and the remainder (9%) other foreign carriers (Chart 11). 

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Aeronautical Data

Follow this link to the web based information services run by the UK National Air Traffic Services (NATS). Here you can find an Aerodrome Chart for Gatwick Airport and the latest navigation charts including Standard Instrument Departures (SIDs) and Standard Arrival Routes (STARs). 

 Note:Many of the pages are in Acrobat .pdf format and you will require an Acrobat Reader to see them.  (You can obtain a Reader free of charge by clicking the Adobe Icon to the right)

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Control of Noise

In common with Heathrow and Stansted, Gatwick Airport is designated under section 80 of the Civil Aviation Act 1982 for the purposes of the regulation of noise.  Noise from aircraft using the ‘designated’ aerodromes is regulated according to notices and directions made under section 78 of the 1982 Act. This gives the Secretary of State powers to direct aircraft operators using these airports, or the airport operators themselves, to adopt procedures which limit noise and vibration.

There are two notices relevant to Gatwick.  The Noise Abatement Procedures are published as part of UK Aeronautical Information Package (AIP) which is part of the Aeronautical Data published by NATS - section EGKK AD2-1-11 on page 11 of the document refers. The Night Noise Restrictions are referred to below.

In case of problems hard copies of these directions can be obtained from the Department for Transport, Great Minster House, 76 Marsham Street, London, SW1P 4DR, Tel: 020 7944 8300

Noise Exposure Contours

The latest Noise Exposure Contours for Gatwick were published in January 2011

Night Noise Restrictions

In July 2004 the Government launched a Stage I consultation exercise in relation to proposals for the next night noise restrictions regime for these Airports which would apply for six years.  GATCOM's response is attached.

Stage 2 of the consultation process was launched on 10th June 2005 - the attached report by GATCOM's Technical Adviser was considered by GATCOM at its meeting in July 2005.

The new Night Noise Restrictions were finally published in June 2006 and came into effect later that year. Here is an Airport note about night flights which summarises the arrangements currently in force.

Noise Action Plan

In 2009 the Airport held a 16 week public consultation on it's draft noise action plan.

A revised draft noise action plan, which took into account the feedback the Airport received, was submitted to the Secretary of State for Transport at the end of November 2009 for recommendation to DEFRA as part of the adoption process.

It is understood that the Government has now approved the Noise Action Plan and the publication of the approved plan is now awaited.

You can see a copy of the Noise Action Plan as it was submitted to the Government on the Airport's website.  .

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Looking Ahead

The White Paper -"The Future of Air Transport"

In its White Paper The Future of Air Transport, published in December 2003, the then Government said that land should be safeguarded for a wide-spaced runway at Gatwick to the south of the existing runway both on its own merits and in case the conditions attached to a new Heathrow runway cannot be met. However, the previous Government  confirmed that it would not act to overturn the 1979 planning agreement preventing a second runway before 2019.
The previous Government also asked airport operators to produce an airport master plan or, where appropriate, to update existing master plans to take account of the conclusions on future development as set out in the White Paper. Airport operators were asked to begin the master plan preparation process immediately.

You will find general information about the White Paper on the website of the Liaison Group of UK Airport Consultative Committees. Click here for more details of its application to Gatwick - paras 11.69 - 11.83 refer.

In 2005 the previous Government promised that a progress report on the White Paper would be issued at the end of 2006 and this was published on 14th December 2006.

The progress report reaffirms the previous Government's commitment to the strategy set out in the White Paper, that is, support for the development of the aviation sector across the UK, predominantly through making the best use of existing capacity, and ensuring where new capacity is required its provision is in line with environmental obligations

In its White Paper The Future of Air Transport, published in December 2003, the then Government said that land should be safeguarded for a wide-spaced runway at Gatwick to the south of the existing runway both on its own merits and in case the conditions attached to a new Heathrow runway cannot be met. However, the Government has confirmed that it will not act to overturn the 1979 planning agreement preventing a second runway before 2019. The Government likewise confirmed it does not support the option for two new runways at Gatwick.

The previous Government also asked airport operators to produce an airport master plan or, where appropriate, to update existing master plans to take account of the conclusions on future development as set out in the White Paper. Airport operators were asked to begin the master plan preparation process immediately.

Developing a sustainable framework for UK aviation

Very soon after its election on 6th May 2010 the new coalition Government made it clear it will refuse permission for a new runway at Gatwick .  The new Government does, however, say it will establish a high-speed rail network. The new Government says it intends to develop a new policy framework for UK aviation which supports economic growth and addresses aviation’s environmental impacts. The process started when the Department for Transport issued a "scoping document" in March 2011 with a view to publishing a draft policy framework for formal consultation in March 2012. The new policy framework will replace the previous government’s The Future of Air Transport White Paper

The Scoping Document begins the dialogue with stakeholders towards developing a long-term high level sustainable framework for UK aviation. The new policy framework will replace the previous government’s The Future of Air Transport White Paper which was published in 2003 and subsequently updated in 2006.

The Government's objective is to develop a long-term, high-level framework for aviation which:

• sets out the Government's aims for aviation and the parameters within which they can be delivered;
• takes account of the positive and negative impacts of aviation, and achieves a sustainable balance between them;
• integrates aviation policy with wider Government objectives, including delivering sustainable economic growth, combating climate change and protecting the local environment;
• builds consensus among those who rely on and are affected by aviation; and
• provides industry with the clarity it needs to invest in the UK over the long term.

The DfT is seeking views from all those who benefit from or are affected by aviation to contribute towards and influence the future direction of aviation policy. There is a 6 months consultation period which closes on 30 September 2011. GATCOM issued a press release about the Scoping Document on 21st July 2011.

GATCOM responded to the consultation on 11 October 2011

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Airport Master Plan

On 13th October Gatwick Airport Limited published its draft master plan setting out its vision for developing the airport to accomodate 40 million passengers a year by 2020.   This marked the beginning of an extensive  three-month public consultation which will also use online and social media available 24/7 to ensure everyone can have a say.  The consultation period ends on 13th January 2012.

As part of the consultation Gatwick is hosting six exhibitions and ten workshops at key community locations.

This plan supersedes the 2006 interim master plan published under the previous ownership. As an independent airport, Gatwick is now looking ahead to 2020, setting out in detail the developments required for the airport to make the best use of its single runway. The key focus is on investment, economy, transport links and employment.

Gatwick remains committed to achieving growth through its single runway and two passenger terminal operation.  Much of the development needed to support this growth is already underway through Gatwick's £1 billion investment programme.  Longer term plans will see projects that will enable Airbus A380 operations, expand North Terminal security search area, provide additional pier-served aircraft stands and reconfigure the North Terminal international departure lounge.

Gatwick is also exploring ways of using its existing runway more efficiently. Growing traffic during off-peak periods when existing runway capacity is not being fully utilised is one way of doing this. Bringing in newer, larger aircraft at Gatwick will also encourage growth in passenger numbers and this will require some minor adjustments to the airfield and the way passengers are handled from these aircraft.

Travelling to and from the airport is an important part of the passenger experience and Gatwick wants to offer a strong range of service options. Today, 40% of all Gatwick passengers come by public transport. One third arrive and leave by rail. By 2020 there will be more people on local rail services and roads as a result of our future growth. In 2012 work begins on Network Rail’s £53 million rail station enhancement scheme, to which Gatwick contributed £7.9 million.  The scheme will provide an additional platform to accommodate more trains whilst improving the overall experience.

To find out more about the exhibitions and workshops and provide comments on Gatwick’s draft master plan please visit the consultation website  www.gatwickairport.com/masterplan

South East Airports Taskforce

On 15th June 2010 the new Government announced the setting up of a South East Airports Taskforce to explore how to get the most out of existing airport infrastructure and improve experience for all passengers and users. The Taskforce was chaired by the Theresa Villiers and its focus was on Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted. The membership of the Taskforce was:

• BAA Heathrow
• Gatwick
• BAA Stansted
• CAA (Civil Aviation Authority)
• NATS (National Air Traffic Services)
• BA (British Airways)
• Virgin Atlantic
• EasyJet
• Ryanair
• London First
• AUC (Air Transport Users Council)
• AOA (Airport Operators Association)
• AEF (Aviation Environmental Federation)

There is more about the Task Force in the speech to the Transport Times Aviation Conference given on 26th January 2011 by the Rt Hon Theresa Villiers MP who is Minister of State at the Department for Transport.

On 14th July 2011 the Task Force published its Report which can be seen, along with a Ministerial statement by Theresa Villiers, of the Department for Transport's website. The Report is the culmination of a year long programme of work across seven areas, including security and border controls, and sets out the issues considered by the Taskforce and its conclusions. In her statement Theresa Villiers said she intends "to reconvene the Taskforce in a year’s time to review the progress made".

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GATCOM

Page last modified: 20 January 2012
Pictures and Charts by Gatwick Airport Linited, Clare Jones, Stuart Innes & Natalia Nosova