How many passengers travel through Gatwick Airport each year?
BAA Gatwick currently welcomes around 35 million passengers per year, which is forecast to rise to around 40 million over the next ten years

How many terminals are there at Gatwick Airport?
The airport has two terminals- South Terminal opened in 1958 and North Terminal, opened in 1988.

How many runways does Gatwick have?
There is one runway at the airport, which measures 3,316m in length and is 45m wide. There is also a stand-by runway (known as the Northern runway), which operates only when Gatwick’s main runway is not in use, for example during routine maintenance.

What are the major airlines operating from Gatwick Airport?
There are around 80 airlines operating from Gatwick Airport. Leading airlines include British Airways, easyJet, Monarch, First Choice Airways, and Thomsonfly.

Will Gatwick get a second runway?
The Government’s White Paper, “The Future of Air Transport”, means that it will be some time before we know whether or not a runway at Gatwick will even  be on the agenda - it entirely depends on whether a new runway at Heathrow is possible. Gatwick is bound by a Legal Agreement with West Sussex County Council that prevents the construction of a second runway before 2019. Any future runway development in the south-east is a matter for the Government to decide.

Following lengthy consultation, Gatwick will be publishing its master plan in 2006. This will set out the size, scale and character of Gatwick in 2015 as a one runway airport as well as looking, at options further ahead to 2030.

What is the split between scheduled and charter traffic?
Currently Gatwick operates flights that are 71% scheduled  and  29% charter operations. Passengers travelling on domestic routes made up 12% of total traffic in 2005 with 87.5% of passengers travelling on international routes. Around 0.5% of traffic are transit passengers.

How many destinations can passengers fly to from Gatwick?
Gatwick Airport is the UK’s biggest and most successful leisure airport, with a growing network of more than 220 destinations across 88 countries worldwide.

What are Gatwick’s most popular destinations?
The most popular country is Spain.  Gatwick’s top destinations are Malaga, Alicante, Orlando, Faro, Tenerife, Palma, Geneva, Dublin, Amsterdam, Barcelona and Atlanta.  Gatwick’s most popular domestic destinations are Edinburgh, Manchester, Jersey and Glasgow.  Gatwick also offers a  growing network of exciting long-haul destinations to the Middle East, Asia, Africa and Australasia.

Will Gatwick be able to accommodate the new Airbus A380 aircraft?
Work is currently underway  to accommodate the Airbus A380 which will come into operation over the next few years.  In the first instance this means carrying out work to widen the runway, to allow the A380 to land safely should any diverts occur from Heathrow Airport. From 2007 there will be stand re-configuration at North and South Terminals to provide a pier-served service for the A380.

What are the aims of your managing director ?
Andy Flower is the Managing Director of Gatwick Airport.

“My aim is to make Gatwick Airport the brightest choice for all our customers – for travellers by providing a growing range of world-wide destinations, for our airline partners who want to successfully grow their business here, and for our neighbours who can trust us that any future growth at Gatwick will be responsible and sustainable.  The focus is on delivering excellent customer service, putting the traveller first and at the heart of our operation.  Our ongoing investment programme is centred around providing facilities and services that meet the needs of our customers and making the best use of technology to greatly improve the travellers experience through Gatwick.

The challenge is to grow Gatwick Airport sustainably, balancing our environmental and community responsibilities with the benefits that a busy international airport brings to the region.  I am looking forward to another successful year at Gatwick, welcoming even more passengers and growing our portfolio of scheduled, low-cost and charter airlines and continuing to be an important gateway for business travellers.”

How many people work at the airport?
Gatwick Airport provides direct employment for approximately 25,000 people, with around 300 companies associated with the airport.

What is the impact of having a major international airport on the local communities’ doorstep?
BAA Gatwick recognises its responsibility to develop its business with respect for, and with the support of, the local community and has been working in partnership with local organisations and groups on projects that will, wherever possible, mitigate against any negative impacts.

What is your policy on night flights?
BAA seeks to continue to develop best practice on reducing the impact of night flights through measures such as improved track-keeping and surcharges on departing aircraft that exceed noise limits.

BAA favours well-targeted economic incentives to influence environmental improvements at airports. It would welcome dialogue with Government, the CAA and airlines on the potential for fiscal measures to reduce the noise impacts of night flights.

BAA does not support, on the basis of current evidence, an extension of the night quota period.

Customers First
Gatwick will continue to develop products which bring direct benefits to travellers, such as Day Before Check-in, Common Use Self Service Check-in, home check-in including home printed boarding cards and to make best use of innovative and new technologies which could bring tangible time savings and smooth travellers journeys through Gatwick.

Investment
BAA Gatwick is investing more than £800m over the next ten years in high quality and innovative facilities to meet the needs of its passengers and airline customers, and to ensure passengers numbers continue to grow.

Pier 6, Gatwick’s iconic landmark was completed in 2005 following a £110 million investment.  The world’s largest air-passenger bridge has recently received national recognition, winning the Institution of Structural Engineers, Structural Achivement Award 2005.  Pier 6 gives passengers spectacular 360 degree views of the world’s busiest single runway airport and provides access to 11 new pier served aircraft stands.  It will also save 50,000 coach journeys every year between the North Terminal and remote aircraft parking stands.

South Terminal arrivals hall is continuing to benefit from a £40 million transformation.  The impressive extension has doubled the size of the baggage reclaim hall, providing three new baggage belts and increasing the belt capacity by 40 per cent.  The new extension opended in June 2005.  Work will continue in 2006 to refurbish the existing areas to improve baggage delivery for passengers arriving into the South Terminal.

During 2006, work will be continuing to improve the customer service experience, refurbishing important customer infrastructure such as car parks, escalators and refurbishing Pier 3, as well as gate rooms at Gatwick’s South Terminal.