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London Gatwick Airport
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Gatwick Airport is London's second largest airport and second busiest in the United Kingdom after Heathrow. It is the world's 25th busiest in passengers per year (7th for international passengers). It is the world's busiest single-runway international airport.
Gatwick is north of central Crawley, West Sussex (originally Charlwood, Surrey), south of London. Gatwick is owned and operated by BAA, which owns and operates six other UK airports, including Heathrow, and is itself owned by an international consortium led by the Spanish Ferrovial Group.
The airport handled over 35 million passengers for the first time in 2007, with 266,550 aircraft movements.
In 2008 Gatwick celebrated 50 years - Queen Elizabeth II opened the airport on 9 June 1958.
Charter airlines generally do not operate from Heathrow and use Gatwick as a base for London and the South East.
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Encyclopedia
Gatwick Airport is London's second largest airport and second busiest in the United Kingdom after Heathrow. It is the world's 25th busiest in passengers per year (7th for international passengers). It is the world's busiest single-runway international airport.
Gatwick is north of central Crawley, West Sussex (originally Charlwood, Surrey), south of London. Gatwick is owned and operated by BAA, which owns and operates six other UK airports, including Heathrow, and is itself owned by an international consortium led by the Spanish Ferrovial Group.
The airport handled over 35 million passengers for the first time in 2007, with 266,550 aircraft movements.
In 2008 Gatwick celebrated 50 years - Queen Elizabeth II opened the airport on 9 June 1958.
Charter airlines generally do not operate from Heathrow and use Gatwick as a base for London and the South East. For 30 years flights to and from the USA have also used Gatwick because of restrictions on Heathrow in the 1977 Bermuda II agreement between the UK and the US. The airport is a base for scheduled operators British Airways, easyJet and Virgin Atlantic, and from April 2009 Aer Lingus. The airport is also a base for charter airlines including Monarch Airlines, Thomas Cook Airlines and Thomson Airways.
London Gatwick has a CAA Public Use Aerodrome Licence (Number P528) that allows flights for the public transport of passengers or for flying instruction.
On 17 September 2008, BAA said it would sell Gatwick following a report by the Competition Commission into BAA's dominance, especially in London and the South East. The airport has been valued at £1.8 billion by regulators.
History
The name "Gatwick" dates to 1241, the name of a manor on the site of today's airport until the 19th century. It is derived from the Anglo-Saxon words gat, 'goat', and wic, 'dairy farm', i.e. 'goat farm'.
In 1891 a racecourse was created beside the London-Brighton railway, and a station included sidings for horse boxes. The course held steeplechase and flat races. During the First World War the course hosted the Grand National.
1920-1945
In the 1920s land adjacent to the racecourse at Hunts Green Farm along Tinsley Green Lane was an aerodrome and licensed in August 1930. Surrey Aero Club formed in 1930 and used the old Hunts Green farmhouse as club house. Redwing Aircraft Company bought the aerodrome in 1932 and operated a flying school. The aerodrome was also used for pilots flying in to races. In 1933, the aerodrome was sold to an investor. The Air Ministry approved commercial flights from Gatwick the following year, and by 1936, scheduled flights were operating to the Continent. A circular terminal called The Beehive, designed by Frank Hoar, was built with a subway to Gatwick racecourse railway station so passengers could travel from London Victoria Station to the aircraft without stepping outside. Two fatal accidents in 1936 questioned the safety of the airport. Moreover, it was prone to fog and waterlogging. The new subway flooded after rain. As a consequence and the need for longer landing strips British Airways moved to Croydon Airport in 1937. Gatwick went back to private flying and was contracted as a Royal Air Force flying school. The airport also attracted repair companies.
Gatwick Airport was requisitioned by the RAF in September 1939 and used for aircraft maintenance. Although night-fighters, an army co-operation squadron and later fighters were based at Gatwick, it was mainly a repair and maintenance facility.
1945-1970
After the Second World War maintenance continued and charter companies flying war-surplus aircraft started to use the airport. Most services were cargo flights, although the airport suffered bad drainage and was little used. In November 1948 the owners warned the airport could be de-requisitioned by November 1949 and revert to private use.
Stansted Airport was favoured as London's second airport and Gatwick's future was in doubt. Despite opposition from local authorities, in 1950 the Cabinet decided Gatwick was to be an alternative to Heathrow. The government said in July 1952 that the airport was to be developed, and the airport was closed for a (£7.8 million) renovation between 1956 and 1958. The redevelopment was carried out by Alfred McAlpine. On 9 June 1958 Queen Elizabeth II flew into the new airport in a De Havilland Heron to perform the opening.
The main pier of what is now the South Terminal was built during the 1956-58 construction of Gatwick. In 1962, two additional piers were added. Gatwick was the world's first airport with a direct railway link and one of the first to use an enclosed pier-based terminal which allowed passengers to walk under cover to waiting areas close to aircraft with only a short walk outdoors. Full extendible jet bridges were added when the piers were rebuilt and extended in the late 1970s and early 1980s. British European Airways (BEA) started flying from Gatwick and BEA Helicopters opened a base. BWIA West Indies Airways (BWIA) and Sudan Airways were among the first scheduled overseas airlines.
From the late 1950s a number of Britain's private airlines established themselves at Gatwick. The first was Morton Air Services, which shifted its operation to the airport when its base at Croydon closed. It was followed by Airwork, Hunting-Clan and Transair. In July 1960 these merged to form British United Airways (BUA). Throughout the 1960s BUA was Britain's largest independent airline. During that decade it became Gatwick's largest resident airline. By the end of the decade it also became the airport's leading scheduled operator, with a 71,000 km (43,217 miles) network of short, medium and long-haul routes across Europe, Africa and South America. These were served with contemporary BAC One-Eleven and Vickers VC-10 jet aircraft.
1970 to date
In late November 1970 BUA was acquired by the Scottish charter airline Caledonian Airways. The new airline was known as Caledonian/BUA before adopting the British Caledonian name in September 1971. BUA's takeover by Caledonian enabled the latter to transform itself into a scheduled airline. In addition to scheduled routes inherited from BUA, it launched scheduled services to Europe, North and West Africa, North America as well as the Middle and Far East during the 1970s and '80s. This included the first scheduled service by a wholly private UK airline since the 1930s between London and Paris, in November 1971, as well as the first transatlantic scheduled services by a private UK airline to New York and Los Angeles, in April 1973. It also included the launch of the UK's first private scheduled air service to Hong Kong (via Dubai) in August 1980.
In November 1972 Laker Airways became the first operator of widebody aircraft at Gatwick, following the introduction of two McDonnell-Douglas DC-10 10 series widebodied trijets. Laker's DC-10 fleet expanded throughout the 1970s and early '80s with longer-range series 30 aircraft. This enabled the launch of Gatwick's first daily long-haul, no frills flights to New York JFK on 1 September 1977.
British Caledonian was also a Gatwick operator of the DC-10-30 widebody, having introduced its first pair in March and May 1977, respectively. The airline eventually operated a small fleet of Boeing 747-200s as well, having acquired its first jumbo jet in 1982.
Other independent airlines including Dan-Air and Air Europe played a role in the development of the airport and its scheduled route network during the 1970s, '80s and early '90s.
As passenger numbers grew, a circular satellite pier was added to the terminal building in 1983, connected to the main terminal by the UK's first automated people mover system (now replaced with a walkway and travelators). The new air traffic control tower opened in 1984. The same year, the non-stop Gatwick Express rail service to London Victoria launched. There was need for more capacity and a second terminal was planned.
Construction began on the North Terminal in 1983 and was the largest construction project south of London in the 1980s. It cost £200 million. The terminal was opened by Queen Elizabeth II in 1988 and expanded in 1991 with a second aircraft pier. In 1994, the North Terminal international departure lounge opened. Gatwick's two terminals are connected by an automated rapid track transit system. An extension to North Terminal departure lounge was completed in 2001, and in 2005 a £110 million additional aircraft pier (Pier 6) opened, adding an extra 11 pier-served aircraft stands. Linked by the world's largest air passenger bridge to the main terminal building, it spans a taxiway, giving arriving and departing passengers views of the airport and taxiing aircraft.
In 2000, a major extension to the South Terminal departure lounge was completed, and in 2005 an extension and refurbishment was also completed to the baggage reclaim hall, doubling it in size. In May 2008, another extension was completed to the South Terminal departure lounge. In addition, a second-floor security search area opened. The South Terminal is mainly used by low-cost airlines. Many former users have moved to the newer North Terminal.
Incidents and accidents
- 20 July 1975 – a British Island Airways (BIA) Handley Page Dart Herald was involved in a runway accident while departing on a scheduled flight to Guernsey. The aircraft lifted off from runway 26 after a ground run of 760 m and appeared airborne for 125m with its landing gear retracting before the rear underside of the fuselage settled back on to the runway. None of the 45 occupants were hurt.
Gatwick today
Facilities
Gatwick Airport has two terminals, North and South. Both have shops and restaurants landside and airside. Disabled passengers can travel through all areas. There are facilities for baby changing and feeding, and play areas and video games for children. Business travellers have lounges offering business facilities. There is a conference and business centre. The airport and area has hotels from executive to a capsule hotel. The airport has Anglican, Catholic and Free Church Chaplains. There is a multi-faith prayer room and counselling room in each terminal. A daily service is led by one of the chaplains. The prayer room is open to all faiths.
Major airlines
British Airways and easyJet are Gatwick's two dominant resident airlines, accounting for 25% and 17% of its slots as of late 2007. The latter's share of slots subsequently rose to 24% as a result of its takeover of British Airways franchise carrier GB Airways, which accounted for 7% of slots (late 2007). The acquisition of GB Airways in March 2008 resulted in easyJet becoming Gatwick's biggest short-haul operator accounting for 29% of short-haul passengers (ahead of BA's 23%) and Gatwick's largest airline overall, with flights to 62 domestic and European destinations (at April 2008). Gatwick is the airline's largest base.
Since then, airlines have started down-sizing transatlantic operations due to the new EU-US Open Skies Agreement. Continental Airlines is the second transatlantic carrier - after American Airlines - to pull out of Gatwick altogether, following its decision to transfer its seasonal Cleveland service to Heathrow from 3 May 2009. The slots vacated by these moves as well as by the collapse of Zoom, XL Airways UK and Sterling were taken by easyJet, Flybe and Ryanair. By late 2008, easyJet's share of Gatwick slots had grown to about 26% , while Flybe had become Gatwick's third-largest slot-holder accounting for 9% of the airport's slots, as well as its fastest-growing airline.
From a peak of 40% in 2001, BA's share of Gatwick slots will have declined by 50% to only 20% by summer 2009.
Ryanair operated its first routes linking Gatwick with Continental Europe on 18 December 2008 with aircraft stationed at its continental bases.
From April 2009, Aer Lingus, the Irish national carrier, will base four aircraft at the airport, operating to Dublin, Knock Ireland West Airport, Malaga, Zurich, Munich, Nice and Faro. It expects to double the number of aircraft based at Gatwick from 4 to 8 within 12 months, possibly operating to more Aer Lingus bases in Ireland such as Shannon, Cork and Belfast. It is the airline's second base outside of the Republic of Ireland.
Changing character of airport
According to the evidence Flybe submitted at a Competition Commission hearing into BAA's market dominance at the beginning of 2008, Gatwick's dynamics were changing rapidly as a result of recent changes in its traffic pattern. These were likely to transform the airport from a secondary intercontinental hub into a predominantly European and domestic operation feeding London and specifically the south London market.
Operations
Gatwick operates as a single runway airport. Strictly speaking it has two runways, however, the northern runway (08L/26R) can only be used when the main runway (08R/26L) is out of use, for example because of maintenance or an accident. The runways cannot be used at the same time because there is insufficient separation between them, and during normal operation the northern runway is used as a taxiway. It can take 15 minutes to change from one to the other.
The main runway operates with a Category III Instrument Landing System The northern runway does not have an Instrument Landing System and, when it is in use, arriving aircraft use a combination of Distance Measuring Equipment and assistance from the approach controller using surveillance radar. On all runways, considerable use is made of continuous descent approach to minimise environmental effects of incoming aircraft, particularly at night.
Night flights are subject to restrictions. Between 11pm and 7am the noisiest aircraft (rated QC/8 and QC/16) may not operate. In addition, between 11.30pm and 6am (the night quota period) there are three limits:
- An overall limit on the number of flights;
- A Quota Count system which limits the total of noise permitted, but allows operators to choose to operate fewer noisy aircraft or a greater number of quieter planes;
- QC/4 aircraft may not operate at night.
Security
The airport is policed by Sussex Police. The unit has jurisdiction over the whole airport, including aircraft, and in certain circumstances, aircraft in flight. The 150 officers include armed and unarmed officers, and community support officers for minor offences. The airport has a sub-unit against man-portable surface-to-air missiles (MANPADS) by patrolling in and around the airport. A separate sub-unit has vehicle checks around the airport.
Transport
Gatwick has set the objective that 40% of passengers should be using public transport by the time the annual throughput reaches 40 million (estimated in 2015), from the 2006 figure of 35.3%.
Road
The airport is accessed by a motorway spur road at junction 9A of the M23, which links to the main M23 motorway a mile (1.5 km) east at junction 9. The M23 connects with London's orbital motorway. The M25, 9 miles (14 km) north, gives access to Greater London and the South East. The M23 is the main route by traffic to reach the airport. Gatwick is accessed locally by the A23, which serves Horley and Redhill to the north and Crawley and Brighton to the south. The A217 provides access northwards to the local town of Reigate.
The airport has long and short-stay car parks - at the airport and off-site - although these are often full in summer. Local planning restrictions limit car parking at and around Gatwick.
Rail
The Gatwick Airport railway station is next to South Terminal and provides connections along the Brighton Main Line to London Victoria and London Bridge stations, as well as Brighton and Worthing to the south. Gatwick Express to Victoria is the best-known service from the station, but other companies, including Southern, First Capital Connect and First Great Western, use the station. First Capital Connect provide direct trains to Luton Airport, and Southern run direct services between Watford Junction and Brighton. First Great Western trains provide a direct rail link with Reading and which connect with Oxford and the West.
Foot passengers can reach Heathrow by a X26 Express Bus from bus outside East Croydon station.
Bus and coach
National Express Coaches operates coaches to Heathrow Airport and Stansted Airport, as well as cities and towns throughout the region. National Express Dot2Dot operates a demand responsive minibus service to any location in a defined area of central London. Oxford Bus Company operate direct services to Oxford. easyBus operates minicoaches from Gatwick to London Victoria.
Local buses connect North and South terminals with Crawley, Horley, Redhill, Horsham and other destinations. Services are offered by Metrobus and Fastway, a guided bus rapid transit system which was the first of its kind to be constructed outside a major city.
There are at least two sets of stairs for foot-passengers to leave South Terminal to ground-level (near the cycle route) from Zone L and the train-station area (steps are labelled Exit Q and Exit P on the ground). These allow access to bus stops for local services.
Cycle
Route 21 of the National Cycle Network passes under South Terminal, allowing virtually traffic-free cycling northwards to Horley and southwards to Three Bridges and Crawley. A goods-style lift runs between the terminal and ground level (signed "Lift to Cycle Route"), near Zone L.
Terminal transfer
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North and South terminals are connected by three-car automatic driverless vehicles that run along a ¾-mile elevated two-way track. The transit is free with a travel time of about 2 minutes. It runs every three minutes in peak periods (when two vehicles are used), and every six minutes at other times (one vehicle).
Development
In 1979 an agreement was reached with the local council not to expand before 2019, but recent proposals to build a second runway suitable for large jets at Gatwick led to protests about increased noise and pollution and demolition of houses and villages. The government decided to expand Stansted and Heathrow but not Gatwick. BAA published new consultation which includes a possible second runway south of the airport, but leaves Charlwood and Hookwood intact north of the airport.
BAA planned an £874 million investment over five years, including increased capacity for both terminals, improvements to the transport interchange and a new baggage system for South Terminal. However the Competition Commission examined claims that BAA had a monopoly on London airports and the airport is to be sold
Airlines and destinations
North Terminal
The main users of North Terminal are British Airways and charter airline Thomson Airways, as well as a small presence of other oneworld alliance members and those belonging to SkyTeam. In March 2008, easyJet split between Gatwick's two terminals, with many routes taken over from GB Airways now departing from North Terminal.
South Terminal
The South Terminal is Gatwick's older and busier terminal, and is also where the airport railway station is located. The main users of the South Terminal are easyJet, Virgin Atlantic and charter carriers Monarch Airlines and Thomas Cook Airlines. However, many other airlines either operate from or are based at the South Terminal.
See also
External links
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