Thirty extra flights a day set to be handled at Gatwick

The pier, at the airport’s North Terminal, means that changing types of aircraft can be accommodated - up to seven large aircraft and 12 smaller aircraft or a combination of both - with an extra 4,200 passengers a day.

The pier design includes vertically separated arrival and departure routes and was officially opened by MP Caroline Ansell. She said the new pier would “improve the passenger experience and help Gatwick become one of the world’s best airports.”

Gatwick Airport CEO Stewart Wingate said:“Since coming into private ownership six years ago, we have invested more than £1 billion in transforming and growing Gatwick and, to accommodate our growth, we are set to invest another billion.

“Total passenger numbers have grown by nine million over this time – today, 40 million people choose Gatwick each year and we have achieved 34 successive months of growth. To keep pace with this unprecedented growth, we need to be smart about how we work with our existing infrastructure while we wait for a Government decision on airport expansion.”