Press Release
BAA Gatwick hosts Gatwick Transport Forum
31 October 2007
BAA Gatwick hosts Gatwick Transport Forum
31 October 2007
BAA Gatwick has launched its future Surface Access Strategy at the Gatwick Area Transport Forum held at the Sofitel Hotel, North Terminal yesterday (Tuesday 30 October).
The Forum brings together public transport providers, local authorities, representatives from the airport community and other key stakeholders and forms an important part of Gatwick’s sustainable development agenda.
The event was opened by the airport’s managing director Andy Flower who said: “Every journey through Gatwick should be a positive experience and we are committed to making sure we provide the brightest welcome. However being a great airport comes with great responsibility.
“Working with our business partners and local communities, I am determined that the benefits of having Gatwick on the doorstep are spread to our stakeholders, as a gateway to great destinations, the creation of exciting employment opportunities and is balanced by responsible management of our environmental impacts.
“Having a surface access strategy that ensures passengers and employees have access to a range of travel options to meet their needs is critical to our licence to grow and I am committed to making sure we get this right.”
Championing the travel needs of passengers, Simon Calder, senior travel editor of ‘The Independent’ gave an insight into the traveller experience and said: “As a loyal customer of Gatwick for the past 40 years I’m thrilled to see exciting developments in enhancing access to the airport.
“Low impact and high efficiency transport is the key to success and hopefully this plan will enable Gatwick to flourish in an extraordinary changing and exciting environment.”
Carrie Hutchison, BAA Gatwick’s Business Development Director gave an overview of the surface access strategy which includes a target to have 40% of air passengers travelling to and from the airport by public transport by the time the airport is handling 40 million passengers. The current figure is 35%.
Said Carrie: “We recognise it is necessary to put in place a set of measures to mitigate the environmental impact of airport related road trips. With the number of passengers forecast to grow from its current 35.1 million per year to around 40 million in ten years time, the strategy focuses on how we intend to meet this challenge which will require real partnership, commitment and investment.”
