Record July notched up by Gatwick Airport

Overall passenger numbers rose for a 53rd consecutive month in July as 4.7 million passengers travelled through the airport – up 2.4%.

Gatwick’s growth has also been recognised by the Airports Council International Europe, who announced Gatwick as a top five airport in Europe for passenger growth, with passenger numbers +9.4% in the first half of 2017.

The record July was a result of Gatwick’s rising long-haul traffic served by larger aircraft, with the number of passengers travelling to long-haul destinations increasing by 10.7% compared to July 2016.

Gatwick’s cargo, +20.4% year-on-year, also continues to benefit from the airport’s long-haul growth.

Destinations in California are among Gatwick’s biggest growing routes and are proving to be the summer holiday destinations of choice for many Brits this year. Oakland and Los Angeles are up 210.6% and 47.5% on 2016 respectively.

Gatwick passengers will soon have even more transatlantic destinations to choose from too, with Norwegian’s direct flights to Denver and Seattle taking off from September, and the airline’s recently announced routes to Austin, Chicago and Buenos Aires launching early next year.

Gatwick Airport recorded a 6.1% year-on-year rise in passengers travelling to China in July marking the first anniversary of the airport’s routes to Chinese destinations Tianjin and Chongqing. The growth comes as Gatwick continues to focus on developing the airport’s connectivity with Asia, with flights to Taipei and Singapore also set to launch later this year.