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Reducing your impact

Make Your Journey to Gatwick Lower Carbon

At London Gatwick, we’re working to reduce our carbon impact*. Reducing carbon emissions is vital to limit the impacts of climate change. There are some simple steps you can take to lower the carbon impact of your journey. 

Explore this page to find practical ways to reduce and avoid carbon emissions when you travel, and how to address any remaining impact. We’ve included some of our top tips below for practical ways to reduce and avoid carbon emissions when you travel.

*We will use the word carbon throughout this page as a shorthand for the family of greenhouse gases which contribute towards climate change.

Local bus a London Gatwick

Before you leave
Reducing the carbon impact of your journey starts before you’ve even stepped outside your front door. Before leaving, here are a few things you can consider:

Bring a reusable water battle

Bring a reusable water bottle to the airport and refill it.

Did you know? We have water bottle refilling stations across the terminal at the locations signposted on campus. This will reduce single use plastic and associated carbon from recycling waste.

Find them on our airport maps

Bring a reusable coffee up

Consider bringing a reusable coffee cup from home to use at all vendors at London Gatwick. Not only will you receive a discount from the following participating retailers, but you can also help reduce the amount of coffee cups thrown away each year at the airport.

Did you know? In 2025, nearly 4 million coffee cups were processed and recycled!

Greggs

£0.25 off at Greggs

Pret

£0.50 off at Pret

Starbucks

£0.25 off at Starbucks

Pure

£1 off at Pure

Caffe Nero

2 Stamps on the Caffe Nero App

Travelling light

Weight affects fuel consumption of an aircraft, which in turn affects carbon emissions. Packing only what you need can help reduce fuel use and result in a lower carbon journey. Think through the itinerary of your trip while packing and ask yourself if you really need everything. For example:

  • Does the hotel provide towels and toiletries, meaning you don’t need to bring your own?
  • Would you be happy to wear the same outfit several times?
  • Do you really need that extra pair of shorts or shoes? Every little helps! 

Choosing lower-carbon transport to and from the airport
Lower carbon ways of getting to London Gatwick include:

By train

London Gatwick is the UK’s best-connected airport by rail, with a train departing on average every four minutes. Passengers can travel directly to over 120 stations, with more than 700 accessible with just one change.

Find out more about Train Travel To and From London Gatwick

By bus and coach

London Gatwick is directly connected to more than 100 UK towns and cities by bus and coach services, with most running 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. The airport is also within easy reach of hundreds of additional destinations with just one change.

Plan your journey to London Gatwick by Coach and Bus

Shared journeys

Shared journeys, by car sharing or sharing a taxis, can help reduce the carbon impact per person.

Cycling and walking

Bike Parking at London Gatwick

Probably only viable if you’re very local and have small bags! The airport has bike storage at both terminals.

Find out more about our Cycling and Walking Routes

Using an electric car

If hiring a car for your trip, consider choosing an electric vehicle to reduce your carbon footprint.

Why not also check out GRIDSERVE? It has EV charging available 24/7, including 22 high power chargers, 4 low power chargers and 4 Tesla superchargers and amenities including Costa Coffee and Little Fresh.

Find out mor about EV charging with GRIDSERVE at London Gatwick

To help you plan your journey, use our Journey Planner to compare different travel options and choose the most sustainable route.

Lower impact flying

Not all journeys are the same in regard to their carbon impact.

CO2

Fly direct

Direct flights generally result in lower carbon impact than indirect routes due to the reduction in route mileage and fewer take-off/landing cycles. Where possible, select direct routes to lower the total carbon impact of your journey.

dfse

Select newer aircraft

Newer aircraft models are typically more fuel efficient. You can usually find information on the aircraft type while making your booking. Consider selecting flights on newer aircraft, where possible, to help lower the impact of your journey.

Airline seats

Class of travel

Travelling in economy class usually has a lower carbon footprint per passenger. Be mindful of this when making your booking.

Fly direct with Singapore Airlines
Addressing unavoidable greenhouse gas emissions

Despite all our best efforts to reduce carbon emissions, currently some carbon impact remains unavoidable. Addressing these residual emissions is an important element of credible climate action when undertaken responsibly.

Offsetting the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from your flight can be a credible way to help address residual emissions. Carbon offsetting involves supporting projects that either reduce GHG emissions emitted or remove GHG from the atmosphere. These projects can deliver wider environmental and social benefits when properly governed. It is important to do your own research when considering supporting carbon offsetting projects as quality varies.

Alternatively, you can also purchase Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) to account for some, or all, of the GHG emissions from your journey. SAF can significantly reduce lifecycle carbon emissions, typically by around 80% compared to conventional aviation fuel.

How to offset your journey

Passengers who choose to offset their journey should: 

  • Estimate GHG emissions using a recognised carbon calculation methodology (for example, the ICAO Carbon Emissions Calculator)
  • Offset all, or a proportion, of GHG emissions calculated, doing so with either SAF or carbon offset projects
  • Select high-integrity carbon projects, for more information on high-integrity carbon projects see below

Learn more about high-integrity carbon projects

Gatwick Airport Ltd’s approach to climate action

Gatwick Airport Ltd (GAL), the airport operator, is accredited at Airport Carbon Accreditation Level 4+. This demonstrates our sustained focus on GHG emissions reductions, and the efforts we are making to drive third parties operating at the airport towards delivering GHG emissions reductions themselves.

You can find out more information about the work taking place at London Gatwick in our 2025 Sustainability Report:

Performance Summary Sustainability 2025

Please note

Carbon offsetting should complement, not replace, GHG emissions reduction efforts.

Revised Oxford principles for net zero aligned carbon offsetting

Disclaimer

Carbon calculations and offset outcomes depend on assumptions, methodologies and project performance. Gatwick Airport Ltd does not endorse any specific emissions calculators or offset providers unless stated otherwise. Any information or material provided is only a suggestion.  

The purpose of this page is to offer advice to lower the carbon impact of your journey. Gatwick Airport Limited does not assume any responsibility for the outcome of this advice. 

Make your journey greener by choosing public transport, travelling light and making conscious travel choices that help reduce the environmental impact of your trip to and from London Gatwick.