Gatwick passengers up 2.7%
14.12.10
Gatwick Airport has reported a rise in passenger numbers despite the economic downturn and last month's weather problems. Passenger numbers in November were 2.12 million, up 2.7% on 2009. Had the bad weather which hit flights in the last few days of last month not caused the shutdown of Gatwick, the passenger increase would have been 3.7%.
Strong growth prior to the disruption was driven by additional capacity, with an increase of 2.2% in average load factors to 75.2%. Passenger numbers on European charter flights fell by 13% last month, but passenger figures were buoyed by a 10% increase in European scheduled traffic, thanks to the start of a number of new services including from Ryanair to Bergamo, Faro and Olso Rygge, and from easyJet to Dusseldorf, Hamburg and Gothenburg.
Stewart Wingate, Gatwick's chief executive, welcomed the figures for the first full month of the winter season, saying: ‘It’s great to see growth from easyJet, our largest customer, and from British Airways, who are adding more long-haul leisure routes to their strong short-haul schedule, as well as new services introduced by Ryanair.’
‘Norwegian Air Shuttle, which switched from Stansted to Gatwick 18 months ago, is also growing, and I'm delighted that airberlin, Europe’s sixth largest airline – currently based at Stansted – has chosen Gatwick as its base for new services to Hanover and Nuremberg. Gatwick will become the only London airport to offer direct flights to Nuremburg. This proves competition is working and that Gatwick is playing to win.’
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