London's second airport has gone a long way towards shedding its old dependence on the leisure/charter business. It is now established as a major international hub and its owners BAA are currently investing more than GBP£100 million (USD$160 million) in the airport.

It hasn't completely shrugged off the sun 'n sand image but there is a growing network of scheduled services and business travelers now make up over a quarter of Gatwick's passengers. Their rising influence is being catered for by the introduction of a variety of fast track business facilities.

Although Gatwick is located 28 miles (45km) south of London it has fast rail and convenient road links and is a much easier place to navigate than its sprawling sister Heathrow.

Facilities at its two terminals - North and South - are good, particularly for those who count shopping as part of the travel experience but its growing popularity is also Gatwick's biggest problem. Now with over 31 million passengers each year it operates all flights from a single runway and is crying out for more capacity.

Gatwick has held the unwanted position as the UK's worst airport for delays, with charter traffic hold-ups averaging 46 minutes. A second runway is needed but that will prove difficult to negotiate in these environmentally-conscious times.

Gatwick Airport History

From its earliest days Gatwick was an airport ahead of its time. Its first innovation was a direct link for passengers between the airport and the nearby rail station. Its second, 20 years later, was to build a covered pier from the terminal to aircraft stands, which became a standard feature of airport design.

For all its bright ideas Gatwick could boast no instant success in the pioneering era of civil aviation that was the 1930s.

It started life modestly in 1931 as a private airfield owned by Home Counties Aviation Services. Serious development was later carried out by Airports Limited and the first terminal, together with taxiways and aprons, was opened in 1936. Passengers arriving by train could walk into the airport through subways and covered walkways.

Like many pre-war airfields, however, Gatwick suffered from a lack of paved runways and was eventually abandoned by its principal airline operator in 1938. Gatwick's war time role as a Royal Air Force base saw it grow through the acquisition of the local racecourse but when it was returned to civil use in 1946 it was still basically a grass airfield.

Aircraft maintenance and a limited number of charter flights kept it ticking over but it added to its reputation for new thinking by housing the British European Airways helicopter base.

The big upturn in fortunes came in 1953 when the Government decreed Gatwick as London's second airport. The old airport was closed for major re-development. When it officially re-opened three years later Gatwick had been transformed into a modern facility. There was a 2000 feet runway, a terminal incorporating a rail station and a covered pier linking terminal with aircraft, the first of its kind in the UK.

Charter traffic became big business in the 1980s and with more than a million passengers then using Gatwick the terminal was extended and two more piers built. Despite the upturn Gatwick still ranked only fourth busiest of UK airports but British United Airways, then the main operator, was steadily introducing scheduled services.

Gatwick had ambitions beyond the charter market and those were finally realised in 1978 when it became a transatlantic gateway. By the time Delta, Braniff and British Caledonian, BUA's successor, started up their routes to the USA the airport had already extended its runway to handle the long haul jets and further improved the terminal.

Passenger traffic hit the 10 million mark in the 1980s and has continued to grow at a phenomenal rate, reaching over 32 million in 2000. A satellite to the original building, renamed the South Terminal, and the North Terminal have been opened as Gatwick established itself as Britain's second busiest airport and an international player.

As traffic continues on its upward path Gatwick is anxious to build a second runway to meet demand. It has run into implacable opposition but a history of successful innovation suggests a solution will be found.

Gatwick Airport Ltd
Gatwick Airport,
Horley
Surrey
England
RH6 0NP

Tel: 0870-000 2468



WWW: http://www.airwise.com/airports/europe/LGW/index.html

London Gatwick Airport information
Comprehensive guide to Gatwick airport - airport parking, car rental and live flight information. Contact and terminal details with local information, travel advice and tourist links.
www.gatwickinformation.co.uk

Runway 08R/26L

10364 x 148 feet
3159 x 45 meters

Runway 08L/26R

8415 x 148 feet
2565 x 45 meters

Navaids

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